Theresa May has publicly challenged a call by the leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead for police to take action against rough sleepers in the town ahead of the royal wedding later this year.
The prime minister, who is the MP for Maidenhead, said she disagreed with comments made by Simon Dudley on Twitter and in a letter to the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner.
Dudley said “an epidemic of rough sleeping and vagrancy” in Windsor was causing concern and presenting “a beautiful town in a sadly unfavourable light”.
Asked about the remarks during a visit to a hospital in Camberley, May said: “I don’t agree with the comments that the leader of the council has made.
Thames Valley police have made it clear that they do not view legal action against rough sleepers and people begging on the streets to be effective, and have called for a multi-agency approach to find solutions to the causes of homelessness and destitution.
Homeless charities have also said that antisocial behaviour powers should not be used against people sleeping rough but local authorities should instead provide help and advice.
In a letter sent this week to the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner, Dudley suggested that the 1824 Vagrancy Act and the 2014 Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act should be used against rough sleepers and people begging on the streets.
He also claimed that people begging for money were “marching tourists to cash points to withdraw cash”.
Charities working with the homeless said recourse to the law was not the answer. “Stigmatising or punishing [rough sleepers] is totally counterproductive,” said Greg Beales of Shelter. People sleeping on the street were “often at their lowest point, struggling with a range of complex problems and needs and they are extremely vulnerable, at risk from cold weather, illness and even violence”.
Paul Noblet of Centrepoint said: “Begging and rough sleeping are two distinct issues, and it is not helpful to conflate the two.
The Brett Foundation, a charity in Maidenhead, said it was “deeply disappointed” to hear that Dudley had “sought action against the homeless people in the royal borough, rather than seeking action to help them”.
She acknowledged that “they may not accept help at first, because of their mental health problems, their potential drug/alcohol addiction and, more often than not, their pride”.
Under the Vagrancy Act it is a criminal offence to sleep rough or beg. There were almost 1,500 convictions under the law in 2016, the Local Government Chronicle reported.
The Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act replaced antisocial behaviour orders with criminal behaviour orders.
Crisis said that 56% of rough sleepers surveyed by the charity said the experience of enforcement orders had added to their feeling of shame at being homeless, and a third said that enforcement had just made them move elsewhere to sleep.