A LOCAL councillor has condemned Hereford’s winter homeless shelter as “not fit for purpose” after spending a night there undercover.

Cllr Milly Boylan, an independent town councillor and director of the the HUB community support centre, booked herself into the Symonds Street facility to experience conditions first-hand.

She has since shared her findings in a detailed written report and a series of video diaries, offering a firsthand account of the conditions inside the shelter.

In her recordings, she describes the experience as “hell,” highlighting the discomfort, lack of warmth, and what she felt was an absence of care from staff.

She was placed in the female dormitory, which consisted of four unlocked bunk beds and had no working heater. Issued an “extremely thin” sleeping bag and a “damp” pillow, she said her concerns about the conditions were ignored.

Cllr Boylan also described the bathroom as “unhygienic,” with urine covering the floor, while staff used a disabled toilet marked “staff only.”

During the night, she was woken by a man staying in one of the outdoor “pods” at the rear of the shelter, who said he was freezing, wet, and unable to reach staff. “He called me in the middle of the night, desperate to get inside,” she said. “He was cold and damp, and staff were nowhere to be found.”

Later, at 5:30 AM, she moved to the foyer radiator in an attempt to warm up, at which point she claimed the duty worker’s attitude became “threatening.”

“At first, they were indifferent, but when I went to warm up, their behaviour changed,” she said. “It was as if I was an inconvenience, rather than a person in need of help.”

At 7:30 AM, all shelter users were forced to leave, stepping out into the cold and darkness with nowhere to go.

Reflecting on her experience, Cllr Boylan said society should be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable and that the shelter urgently needed an overhaul before someone comes to harm. “This place is not fit for purpose,” she said. “It’s unsafe, unsanitary, and completely lacking in compassion. If this is the best we can do for people who have nowhere else to go, then we should be ashamed.”

The charity running the shelter, CCP, defended the service, stating that her comments “do not reflect our standards, values, or the typical experience encountered by those accessing the overnight shelter.”

“Our focus is now on engaging with the author to fully understand her observations and concerns, so that we can investigate and respond more fully,” a spokesperson said.

Herefordshire Council also responded, saying it “welcomed the feedback, which will enable us to make further improvements to the shelter and its operation.”

Cllr Boylan has since had what she described as a “really positive meeting” with senior council figures regarding the issues raised in her report.

“I hope this leads to real change,” she said. “Nobody should have to endure a night like that, let alone the people who rely on this place every day.”