Calls for crackdown on homeless before Harry and Meghan’s wedding
POLICE in Britain have been urged to crack down on homeless people and remove them from the area in the town that will host the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.
Simon Dudley, who is the leader of the local council, said beggars could paint the town in a ‘sadly unfavourable l i ght’ during t he r oyal wedding.
The head of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead suggested that tramps were ‘exploiting’ residents and tourists, and claimed some rough sleepers had made a ‘commercial life choice’.
In an open letter to Thames Valley Police, he complained about ‘aggressive begging and i ntimidation’ and ‘ bags and detritus’ in the Berkshire town.
Mr Dudley would not comment directly about his remarks, but shared messages of support he had received on Twitter.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday: ‘ I don’t agree with the comments the leader of the council has made. I think it is important councils work hard to ensure they are providing accommodation for those people who are homeless … where there are issues of people who are aggressively begging on the streets then it’s important councils work with the police.’
On New Year’s Eve, Mr Dudley had retweeted a photo showing a makeshift shelter at a bus stop next to Windsor Castle surrounded by blankets, bags and belongings.
The original post, by Twitter user Matt Gooderick, was accompanied with a question asking Thames Valley Police: ‘Are you not worried at all this is a bit of a security concern?’
Many residents have reported seeing rough sleepers on the street by the castle, leaving sleeping bags and trolleys full of possessions.
On December 29, Mr Dudley retweeted a post from user Claire Scull, saying: ‘Feels more a public safety issue, having been personally approached … walked past many openly begging … I didn’t feel safe and I didn’t see one police officer.’
Two days earlier the council leader had described the situation in Windsor as ‘an epidemic of rough sleeping and vagrancy’ and urged police ‘to focus on dealing with this’ before the royal wedding in May.
Windsor police responded on Twitter: ‘We deal with reports of begging proportionately but we have not had reports of anyone being marched to cashpoints to take out money.’
There are an estimated 15 to 20 homeless people on the streets of Windsor.
Murphy James, 34, who helps run the Windsor Homeless Project, yesterday led a local backlash against Mr Dudley’s ‘sickening’ comments.
He said: ‘It’s absolutely abhorrent that anybody has got these views in this day and age, especially a lead councillor … I went out on Christmas Day and there were 12 people laid out on Windsor High Street. They were not there by choice.’
Mr James said they were offered places at a hostel in Southall, west London, but that conditions were poor and they could not afford to travel. He added: ‘They are choosing a bus shelter over that accommodation … what does that tell you about that accommodation?’
Labour MP Chris Williamson added: ‘These Tories are well on the way to turning Britain into an ugly dystopian nightmare.’
But Tory Windsor and Maidenhead councillor Jesse Grey said he agreed with Mr Dudley’s remarks and insisted the council had offered the town’s homeless a place to stay.
It has emerged Mr Dudley sits on the board of the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency, which aims to transform rough sleepers’ lives.
In March he said he was expecting a director’s allowance of £10,000-£20,000 (€12,000-€24,000) for the role.
‘Commercial life choice’