Homeless Bill of Rights: Row over Brighton begging and tents

There were concerns that people would be encouraged to pitch tents and beg if Brighton and Hove City Council passed a new Homeless Bill of Rights.

But others dismissed the fears – including the prospect of conflict with the duty of police to enforce the Vagrancy Act.

And the council voted to adopt the Homeless Bill of Rights with the Greens for, the Tories against and Labour split.

Independent councillor Bridget Fishleigh, who abstained from the vote, asked for the measure to be costed and for the public to be consulted.

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Councillor Fishleigh said: “A consultation about the Homeless Bill of Rights would enable the council to gather the thoughts of the thousands of resident who despair at the sight of people living on our streets.

“A consultation will provide an opportunity to discuss funding. Maybe residents will be willing to support further increases in their council tax if this money was ringfenced for housing and services for the homeless. I know I would.”

Another independent councillor, Tony Janio, the former Conservative group leader, backed her call for costings.

Green councillor Siriol Hugh-Jones, who co-chairs the council’s Housing Committee, said: “Councillor Fishleigh says people despair at people living in the streets. The bill addresses that.

“What the bill wants are services supporting access to appropriate housing to be accessible to all homeless people.”

There are concerns the bill will need to more homeless tents in the city

Labour councillor Gill Williams said that the results of an extensive public consultation were presented to the Housing Committee in June last year.

They included the Homeless Bill of Rights which now formed part of the council’s rough sleeping strategy, she said, adding: “What the Homeless Bill of Rights is fundamentally about is making sure that when people are driven into rough sleeping, they are not automatically treated like a nuisance or a problem or drug users or sources of anti-social behaviour or criminals.

“We have just reaffirmed our commitment to being a ‘City of Sanctuary’. Surely you want to commit to this as well?”

She said that the Homeless Bill of Rights did not endorse aggressive begging or any other form of anti-social behaviour which could be dealt with through the law.

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Conservative councillor Mary Mears said that the Homeless Bill of Rights would do little to help the homeless and put the council in conflict with Sussex Police.

It would permit begging and make it harder for officials to remove tents from parks and play areas.

She cited Brighton Housing Trust chief executive Andy Winter who recently said that begging had nothing to do with homelessness and everything to do with addiction.

Councillor Mears said: “The pandemic has thrown the city’s begging problem into sharp focus over the past 12 months. And the city’s experience has largely confirmed what Mr Winter has been saying.

“While the council, through £6.4 million in government funding, has been able to offer hotel accommodation and food to all homeless people for more than a year now, residents have reported that begging on the streets has continued and residents have faced aggressive begging in some places.”

The council has been trying to get people off the streets during the pandemic

Thirty-one Green and Labour councillors voted to adopt the Homeless Bill of Rights, with the Conservatives and Councillor Janio voting against it.

Councillors Appich, Atkinson, Fishleigh, Hamilton, Henry, Moonan and O’Quinn abstained.