£100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

[aburobert]

My local council is planning to draft rules that will impact the poorest in our society - it is proposed that rough sleepers may be fined £100.

When I first read this news I was outraged as there are far more caring and compassionate ways of dealing with problems like these.

If you are sufficiently outraged by such a law being passed please take a second or two out and sign the petition which is linked and self explanatory:

https://www.change.org/p/wycombe-dis...100/u/11343408

One of our local councilors response to be told about the petition is given below (this was lifted from one of the responses to the petition)

One of our local councilors response to the petition is quoted in full below:

"Hello,

You should be aware that NO ONE needs to sleep rough.

Every opportunity is offered to these people, you say who are in dire straits. A number of them refuse to take advantage of services provided by the Council and Homeless Connection. It is unfair to other residents and users of the town to be intimidated by these people saying they are homeless when indeed there are the necessary facilities available.

It is a known fact that these rough sleepers “earn” more from rough sleeping and begging than they would if they held down a full time job or indeed availed themselves of the various benefits.

It would appear that rough sleepers in this instance is a lifestyle choice.

Kind regards,

Lesley

Cllr. Mrs. Lesley Clarke OBE
Buckinghamshire County Council (Abbey Division)
Wycombe District Council (Abbey Ward)"

I wonder what she got her OBE for - certainly not services for the homeless!

[Amethyst]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

Statement from Wycombe District Council

Statement about rough sleepers in Wycombe

Friday 19 June 2015

We don't want to fine rough sleepers in the Wycombe district, we'd much rather assist them instead. We've made huge efforts in partnership with various agencies across the district including Wycombe Homeless Connection (WHC) to provide as much help and assistance as possible to those who find themselves rough sleeping, for whatever reason. This help includes the drop-in at WHC, an emergency bed when available through the outreach team and help into accommodation through the Wycombe Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme that we fund. Last year, the outreach service managed to find accommodation for 70% of all referred rough sleepers across Bucks - sadly the majority of the remainder chose not to accept the help and support that was offered. We would be grateful if anyone with concerns about a rough sleeper contacts the national street link service on 0300 500 0914 or email to our local outreach team outreach@connectionfs.org so that we can continue our successes in resolving their housing need.

Rough sleeping is the most extreme form of homelessness, which is fully deserving of the attention and support that we provide along with our partner agencies. We want to prevent a need to rough sleep and to help those that find themselves on the street. We aim to operate a "no second night out" for rough sleepers in the district.

Wycombe District Council's Cabinet this week approved the use fixed penalty notices should public spaces protection orders (PSPO) or community protection notices (CPN) be implemented in the future. The accompanying report provided a couple of examples of how the new powers could be used. Fixed penalty notices could be issued to anyone behaving anti-socially such as defecating or urinating in public places, graffiti and drunken behaviour. We can't issue any fixed penalty notices anyway, because we don't currently have any orders or notices in place.

Asking for members to agree to proceed with public consultation on the implementation of a Public Spaces Protection Order for HW town centre and surrounding area.

Decision type: Key

Decision status: For Determination

Notice of proposed decision first published: 22/06/2015

Decision due: 20 Jul 2015 by Cabinet

Lead member: Cabinet Member for Community

Contact: Sarah Hazel, Community Services Team Leader

Reason No Public Access: N/A

Will the report be held wholly or partly in private: Open report

And legislation that allows them to consider implementing a PSPO http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...orders/enacted

[aburobert]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

OK about the Council response dated in mid June. How about an update from them directly addressing the points raised in the petition:

"The changes – which will need to be agreed by the full council – include powers to fine anyone contravening a Public Spaces Protection Order which can be applied to public spaces. If an area has an order placed on it, activities such as cycling and skateboarding can attract a £100 fine, which is lowered to £60 if paid within ten days. Homeless people may be put into the situation they are in without their control. By taxing them further, those who are in the lowest socio-economic group who do not even have money for shelter, is going to worsen the problem rather than 'clean up the streets'.They need our support. This can work. The same thing happened in Oxford and Hackney with the petitions creating pressure which stopped the fines from going ahead. With your support, we can make the same impact in Wycombe and get the council to reconsider their plans and actually aid the homeless rather than impoverish them further.
Currently, only one Christian collective of churches are helping by proving the Wycombe homeless shelter, which is already inundated. If this is to go into place, the council should at least provide better care for the homeless in the area, whether by hostel, shelter, or support groups. Please reconsider the plan to fine homeless people £100 for their inability to find shelter. This plan will only worsen the problem. The solution is to provide better aid, not to punish those who cannot control their situation in many cases.
I hope you are as passionate as me about this. As someone in a position of privilege, all I wish to do is aid those who do not have a voice. I have worked with local charities in High Wycombe since the age of 11, and this is close to my heart after seeing so many people affected. Please help me to prevent this atrocious plan from going ahead. Thank you."

The emphasis is from the author not myself.

Also the very outrageous comments from Councilor Lesley Clarke quoted above need to be addressed as well.

[aburobert]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

There have been some updates since my last posting and they can be seen here:

https://www.change.org/p/wycombe-dis...ctQih11pm4dGJx

Locally this is causing a bit of a stir and my thanks to all on Legalbeagles who took a few seconds out to consider and sign. Although the total of slightly over 4,000 signatures appears insignificant it is a lot for what is considered a 'local' issue. Anyone else contemplating signing will find their contribution invaluable.

[PAWS]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

"Hello,
You should be aware that NO ONE needs to sleep rough.
Every opportunity is offered to these people, you say who are in dire straits. A number of them refuse to take advantage of services provided by the Council and Homeless Connection. It is unfair to other residents and users of the town to be intimidated by these people saying they are homeless when indeed there are the necessary facilities available.
It is a known fact that these rough sleepers “earn” more from rough sleeping and begging than they would if they held down a full time job or indeed availed themselves of the various benefits.
It would appear that rough sleepers in this instance is a lifestyle choice.
Kind regards,
Lesley
Cllr. Mrs. Lesley Clarke OBE
Buckinghamshire County Council (Abbey Division)
Wycombe District Council (Abbey Ward)"

Now whether she is telling the truth or just expressing what she considers a well-informed opinion this is the stupidest letter I have ever come across. She obviously gets her information from sensationalised media reports.
I have only known one person, in my entire life, who has slept rough by choice and he was an ex Japanese prisoner of war who had been left mentally and physically scared by his experiences.
Only a very naive person would suggest that all those begging in the streets are in desperate need but only a very ignorant person would claim that all those sleeping rough see it as a ‘lifestyle choice’.

[peterpiper]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

Nowhere does it specifically state that the homeless will be fined £100.
How could the fine be administered anyway. No fixed abode ?
No money ? Or deducted from money obtained from begging ?
Very similar situation to the nude rambler

[Amethyst]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

Agree with you peter.

[PAWS]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

Nowhere does it specifically state that the homeless will be fined £100.
How could the fine be administered anyway. No fixed abode ?
No money ? Or deducted from money obtained from begging ?
Very similar situation to the nude rambler

The what???? how did I miss that!

[Amethyst]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

lol

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...urt-appearance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Gough

[PAWS]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

Thanks a million.
Gosh! Two and half years for that. Fair enough, we cannot all wander around in the noddy although I have seen a lot of flesh bobbing about on various high streets. Just seems a bit stiff. No pun intended. :tung:–sorry going off topic.

[aburobert]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

Latest update:

https://www.change.org/p/wycombe-dis...100/u/11465800

Looks like the pressure and publicity has worked.

[peterpiper]

Re: £100 fine for being homeless!! (Wycombe District Council)

Sorry. It's the naked rambler. See here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Gough.
Unable to enforce anything with this chap. Utterly homeless. Just keeps walking naked.
The irony is that the public are paying a fine for the cost of putting him in prison
when he disobeys the court