Victory in campaign to decriminalise rough sleeping
A Liberal Democrat MP is celebrating the victory of her campaign to abolish the Vagrancy Act, which makes sleeping rough a criminal offence.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, announced that the Vagrancy Act, which criminalised rough sleeping, will be scrapped for good by Spring of next year. The Act, still in use to this day, makes anyone seen living in the streets or begging liable for arrest.
Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, has led a cross-party campaign to repeal this Act. In 2022 the then-Government bowed to cross-party pressure and repealed the Vagrancy Act, but it was never implemented until now.
In Bristol, over 900 people slept rough in 2022/23. This increased after the pandemic, with the number being a 28% increase over the figure for the previous year. Those sleeping rough are often very vulnerable, with nearly 60% of people assessed in 2022/23 presenting with a need for mental health support.
The Liberal Democrats in Bristol called for the Council to end the unfair and unjust use of the Vagrancy Act in 2018. The following year, it was revealed that homeless people in Bristol were dying at more than double the national rate and yet rough sleepers were still being arrested under the Vagrancy Act by the police.
Cllr Andrew Varney (Liberal Democrat, Brislington West) said:
“Abolishing the Vagrancy Act is a much-needed step to ensure that rough sleepers are treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve.
“It should never have been acceptable to view homelessness as a crime, and those who sleep rough are often amongst the most vulnerable in our society.
“More must be done to help rough sleepers and get them into better situations, including by providing wrap-around support and safe and secure housing, delivered with charities and homelessness organisations.
“We have long called for the use of the Vagrancy Act to be stopped in Bristol, and it will now finally be abolished across the country.
“This success is the result of 7 years of dedicated campaigning by a Liberal Democrat MP, and it shows what can be achieved by Liberal Democrats in office.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- Press release first issued by Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats - Victory in campaign to scrap Vagrancy Act - Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats.
- Bristol City Council Homelessness Review - Homelessness Review 2024
- The 2021 Bristol Liberal Democrat manifesto included commitments to “Abolish the use of the Vagrancy Act in Bristol”, “Work closely with charities and homelessness third-party organisations to develop a city wide strategy to eradicate street homelessness in the city”, and “Promote the Housing First model to tackle long term homelessness”.
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