Rethink urged over ‘cruel’ plans to deal with rough sleepers
Charities issue letter opposing clampdown on rough sleeping
Pressure is increasing on Home Secretary James Cleverly over plans to clamp down on rough sleepers, with one charity branding them “cruel and unnecessary”.
More than 30 charities, including Crisis, Amnesty UK and the Big Issue, have written to Mr Cleverly warning that measures in the Criminal Justice Bill could see vulnerable women fined for seeking shelter.
The letter praises certain elements of the Bill designed to end rough sleeping, but says other parts "undermine" that progress.
"It could see women, who are disproportionately likely to suffer violence and sexual abuse on the streets, penalised for seeking shelter and safety in well-lit doorways," the letter says.
Matt Downie, chief executive of the national homelessness charity Crisis, has previously urged Home Secretary James Cleverly to drop "cruel and unnecessary measures and focus on the real solutions" including building more social housing.
He said: "Through our frontline services we see the brutality rough sleeping inflicts on people's lives.
With more and more people being pushed to the brink from the increased cost of living, we need a compassionate approach, not one that threatens people with fines or imprisonment."
Dozens of Tory MPs are expected to rebel against parts of the Criminal Justice Bill, which would allow the police to fine "nuisance" rough sleepers.
Critics say the Bill is drafted so widely it could result in people being arrested or fined for having an "excessive odour", or merely appearing as though they intend to sleep rough.
Former ministers Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Damian Green are among 10 Tories who have signed a series of amendments to the Bill, which was written under previous home secretary Suella Braverman.
Measures tabled by Tory MP Bob Blackman (Harrow East) would seek to ensure ministers fulfil their promise to repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824, the law which currently criminalises rough sleeping and begging.
The Government promised to do so when it passed the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act in 2022, but only when it found a suitable replacement.
Measures in the Criminal Justice Bill aim to provide this replacement but are thought to be too widely drawn by the Tory rebels.
Mr Blackman said he and his colleagues were urging the Government to think again, adding: "A lot of colleagues believe that the Bill as it stands is completely unacceptable because it would have the effect of criminalising people who have no choice but to sleep on the streets”.
A second amendment from Mr Blackman aims to clarify when the police are able to use the new powers.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The bill concentrates on behaviour that is anti-social, including causing environmental damage such as with excessive noise or litter. No one will be criminalised for simply having nowhere to live.”