Decriminalising tents on streets

[Northernladdette]

What is the government thinking?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14804051/amp/Fears-tent-cities-rough-sleeping-decriminalised.html

The UK is about to turn into a shit hole with tents and rubbish all in the main cities and towns.

"Tent cities could pop up across the UK as rough sleeping is decriminalised" blurts the Mail

Clearly oblivious to the fact that rough sleeping was decriminalised in Scotland more than 40 years ago, and no such thing has happened.

Nothing to do with the Scottish weather. This isn’t exactly the same as right to roam and camp away from housing.

No idea. Criminalising the destitute was obviously a good use of tax payers money. Next they might invest in shelters and other strategies to help the homeless. The horror.

Literally a shit hole.

The Conservatives promised to scrap this law. It would have been repealed by the Criminal Justice Bill, but the general election stopped that becoming law. The Vagrancy Act is rarely used by the police - there were only 712 arrests under this act in 2023. Criminalising vulnerable people is not a good idea and does nothing to address homelessness. The idea that stopping sleeping on the streets from being a criminal offence will lead to tent cities springing up is ridiculous. If there are tent cities, it will be because not enough is being done to tackle homelessness, not because it has been decriminalised.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1045396061000256/

😡😡😡

I feel the same. During COVID the government managed to house people but seemingly can't now. It's awful seeing people sleeping rough.

The tents are ok.

The human excrement around them is not

a local bank worker told me that in summer (when there are lots if tents here) every morning they have no clean up urine and excrement from their doorway. they dread being the 1st to arrive

It’s disgusting, so not a good look for our cities and towns, but a pleasant surprise that I’ve had a couple of mumsnetters agree, as when I originally posted I seemed to get shouted down.

That people are forced to resort to living in tents is what is disgusting.

Where would you like these people to live?

No, it isn't a good look, but criminalising vulnerable adults because they are homeless will not solve the problem. That is tackling the symptom and ignoring the cause. The solution is to address homelessness.

How about in all the empty buildings, offices, military bases that are apparently available

The government aren't interested in helping their people

An outdated Victorian capitalist law that penalises people for not "winning" at life is being modernised and all some people think is "it'll bring the local area down".
Do people really think that people will think to themselves "well now the LAW has changed I'll just abandon my home/shelter/temporary accommodation and go and intentionally bring the local area down by sleeping in a tent and shitting in the street"?
And maybe if there were sufficient public toilets still, so many people wouldn't shit in the street! But noooo councils had to be controlling and shut loads of them down because addicts were using them as a safe place to shoot up sometimes. I also wish there were safe public showers in public toilets so homeless people could get clean but that's a bloody pipe dream compared to giving people sufficient places to go to the toilet.

I'm surprised as I thought people cared about the homeless now. Aren't all the proud flag wavers always talking about helping "our own" first. They could spend all the flag money on a homeless charity or veterans association.

They are Romanians, probably Roma who don't want to live in a house. Romania has received one hundred billion euros from the EU. They're not short of money.

What, all of them in the whole of London, are none of them military veterans, mentally ill, victims of dv and trafficking, relationship breakups, substance abuse, illnesses.

Of course not. Those on Park Lane in the picture provided.

Not in London in the summer

I live in central London- near a homeless shelter- know the long term residents well

In the summer they buy a cheap tent (costs less than 1 night in shelter ) and camp out

They are all white British- drug dependent mostly- the Roma were up on park lane but they have been cleared off by TFL ( I live less than a mile away)

I support/volunteer at 3 homeless shelters before anyone kicks off saying that I dont understand the situation.

Which picture? The pict ure lined above is old new

The Roma camp was at the top end of Park Lane and was cleared in May
They then set up a smaller camp at the bottom that was cleared several weeks ago

TFL own the land and now have 24 hour a day security on both pitches
They have been cleared for several weeks and so it is old news

Germany is using adapted shipping containers for Ukrainian refugees. They too are struggling to accommodate people.
Greece is using them and even Ukraine. Not ideal but a darn site better than a tent.

Not where we live. They are British citizens, often ex-forces and young people from abusive families.

Sorry, I meant the OP who thinks they should be criminalised.