HOUSING bosses have signed a deal with a hotel in Clacton to provide shelter for homeless people in the town.

The former Frandon Hotel, in Beach Road, which has been used to provide temporary housing since 2002, had previously been criticised for attracting homeless people to Clacton.

But owner Deepak Sharma and Tendring Council have now signed a six-month agreement allowing the council exclusive use of the recently-refurbished 16-bedroom property.

This means the council can provide interim accommodation for those "genuinely" registered as homeless within the district.

Paul Honeywood, Tendring Council’s cabinet member for housing, said this move would benefit residents and businesses surrounding the premises.

He said: “The obvious benefit of this deal is that the council has now got access to accommodation to help those local people who really need, and deserve, our help to change their housing situation.

“What it also means, though, is that we can control who is using the accommodation, developing a new solution to help our own genuine homeless.

“With a recent refurbishment meaning that the accommodation is of an improved standard, I am confident that this is a real step forward.”

Last year critics had claimed the hostel attracted homeless people to Clacton with other councils using the town as a dumping ground.

Council bosses had wanted to close it down and took enforcement action, claiming it didn’t have permission to operate as a homeless centre.

But Mr Sharma appealed and a Government inspector overturned the decision, stating that the Frandon had been running as a night shelter for more than ten years, so it was too late to take legal action against it.

Mr Honeywood, who is also the ward councillor, had claimed the Frandon was attracting ex-offenders who don’t have a connection with Clacton, which he said was a “big concern”.