Rough sleeping will no longer be a crime in the UK as the government abolishes a ‘cruel’ 200-year-old law.
The Vagrancy Act 1824 was introduced amid a spiralling homelessness crisis after the Industrial Revolution.
Most of the act has been repealed, though some are still in force in England and Wales to police begging and rough sleeping.
But the government announced today it will scrap the bill ‘for good’ by Spring next year.
On any given night last autumn, 4,667 people were sleeping rough, a 164% increase from 2010, according to official figures.
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In 2023, 298 people were convicted under the act.
The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: ’We are drawing a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society, who deserve dignity and support.
‘No one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough and by scrapping this cruel and outdated law, we are making sure that can never happen again.’
Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said: ’This is a landmark moment that will change lives and prevent thousands of people from being pushed into the shadows, away from safety.
‘For 200 years, the Vagrancy Act has meant that people who are homeless are treated as criminals and second-class citizens. It has punished people for trying to stay safe and done nothing to address why people become homeless in the first place.
‘Ending the use of the Vagrancy Act recognises a shameful history of persecuting people for poverty and destitution, something that figures like William Wilberforce and Winston Churchill warned against in their opposition to the Act.’
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