Clergy in Camden and Westminster have expressed their extreme concern to local members of Parliament about proposed government legislation that would “criminalise rough sleeping”.
In an open letter sent this week to Sir Keir Starmer, MP for Holborn and St Pancras, and Nickie Aiken, MP for Cities of London and Westminster, 15 Christian clergy write to say they see rough sleeping “every day in our parishes” and “our churches and local charities” are at the forefront in efforts to support the many people destitute on the streets.
Last year the American International Church, one of the signatories of the letter, made an appeal for public donations after seeing a huge rise in the number of people seeking assistance at their soup kitchen on Whitfield Street in Fitzrovia.
The clergy say they are “deeply concerned” by the current proposals in the Criminal Justice Bill relating to rough sleeping and ask Aiken and Starmer to “reconsider the measures before the Bill is next considered in Parliament”.
In the letter they say the changes proposed in the Bill are being made following the publication of a policy paper from the Home Office, without a public consultation.
“It is vitally important that any changes to the law in this area are made following consultation in the usual way, giving groups and individuals involved to have their say,” they write.
While the government says the new powers are needed to move individuals off the street and into support services and housing, the Bill “contains nothing that would increase support for rough sleepers and contains no new additional funding for these services as far as we can see”, say the clergy.
“We are extremely concerned that the definition of ‘public nuisance’ in this Bill is poorly defined and open to broad interpretation by the police and local authorities. Equally, we are concerned by the scope of the powers in this Bill allowing the police and local authorities to ‘address’ rough sleeping.”
They close the letter by extending an offer to “work with you to make sure that any new legislation supports rough sleepers and genuinely helps to tackle homelessness in this country”.
Aiken has already gone on record to say that the Bill is in danger of “criminalising” and “demonising” people for sleeping on the streets.
“No one should be criminalised for being forced to sleep rough. Rough sleeping is not a choice nor is it a simple, clear cut issue. It is a complex socio-economic health issue that must be approached with the compassionate, preventative measures, and mental health support,” she wrote on Conservative Home.
In November, Camden Council was forced to issue an apology after it along with the Metropolitan Police, which also apologised, were caught red handed throwing tents belonging to homeless people into the back of a rubbish collection lorry.
The incident, which was widely condemned nationally, came after former home secretary Suella Braverman remarked that rough sleepers living in tents had made “a lifestyle choice”; and which followed London recording the highest quarterly number of rough sleepers since records began, when outreach workers counted 4,068 people sleeping rough.
The legislation in the Bill currently progressing through Parliament was drawn up by Braverman but is now in the hands of the current home secretary James Cleverly.
An open letter from West End of London Clergy
Dear Nickie, dear Sir Keir
As Christian clergy responsible for parishes and churches in the West End of London we are writing to you as our two constituency members of Parliament about the provisions in the Criminal Justice Bill relating to rough sleeping.
As clergy in the West End of London we have a particular interest in this matter. We see rough sleeping every day in our parishes. Our churches and local charities are at the forefront in efforts to support the many more currently sleeping rough.
We are deeply concerned by the current proposals and hope that you will reconsider the measures before the Bill is next considered in Parliament.
We are very grateful for your support in repealing the Vagrancy Act 1824 but are extremely concerned with recent proposed updates which makes begging and some forms of rough sleeping a criminal offence. The Government committed in 2022 to repeal and replace this legislation, but this must be done with proper consultation.
We are extremely concerned that the changes proposed in the Criminal Justice Bill are being made following the publication of a policy paper from the Home Office, without a public consultation. It is vitally important that any changes to the law in this area are made following consultation in the usual way, giving groups and individuals involved to have their say.
The Home Office says that the new powers in this Bill are needed to “help move vulnerable individuals off the streets and direct them to the appropriate support they need, such as accommodation, mental health or substance misuse services.” The Bill, however, contains nothing that would increase support for rough sleepers and contains no new additional funding for these services as far as we can see.
We are extremely concerned that the definition of “public nuisance” in this Bill is poorly defined and open to broad interpretation by the police and local authorities. Equally, we are concerned by the scope of the powers in this Bill allowing the police and local authorities to “address” rough sleeping.
The penalty proposed for breaching these offences of £2,500 or one month in prison is in no way proportionate and risks criminalising and jailing some of the most vulnerable people in our parishes.
We would be happy to work with you to make sure that any new legislation supports rough sleepers and genuinely helps to tackle homelessness in this country.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Sincerely
Revd Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, American International Church in London, Tottenham Court Rd
Revd Dominic Robinson, SJ, Farm Street Church, Mayfair, and Chair of Justice & Peace in the Diocese of Westminster
Revd Simon Buckley, St Anne’s, Soho
Revd Pascal Boidin, SM, Notre Dame de France, Leicester Square
Revd Richard Carter, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square
Revd Stephen Coleman, Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair
Revd Philip Dawson, St Giles-in-the-Fields
Revd Simon Grigg, St Paul’s, Covent Garden
Revd Roderick Leece, St George’s Hanover Square, Mayfair
Revd Pascale Renaud-Grosbras, French Protestant Church, Soho
Revd Scott Rennie, Crown Court Church of Scotland, Covent Garden
Revd Alan Robinson, Corpus Christi Maiden Lane, Covent Garden
Revd Adam Scott, House of St Barnabas, Soho
Revd Simon Woodman, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church
Revd Lucy Winkett, St James’s Piccadilly and St Pancras Euston Rd