Beggars across city ‘exploited by gangs’

the pandemic was about actually stopping the virus from spreading, but we’ve managed to get people into permanent accommodation.” Cllr Roger Harmer (Lib Dem) questioned why, if there are fewer people on the streets, there had been a perceived rise in street begging in the past month from people claiming to be homeless.

Cllr Harmer suggested the beggars are people being exploited by criminal gangs, something which Cllr Thompson confirmed the police were investigating.

“I’ve always said that those that are rough sleeping are not necessarily those that are begging – some do some don’t,” she said. “And we know that the street population is not exactly the same. And from some of the people that we’ve helped, we know that there has been some elements of exploitation, and the community safer team and the police and others are actually looking at that.

“So yes, I would agree that there are some people that have been exploited. We are working with different agencies around that, but not all these people are rough sleepers, and some of them will have accommodation.”