People sleeping rough in east London's Hackney could soon be handed on the spot fines of £100 rising up to £1,000 in court.
Rough sleeping has risen by 55% in the past five years, but that hasn't stopped the public spaces and protection order (PSPO) being drafted up which threatens to treat people sleeping on the streets as criminals and not victims.
Crisis, the leading national charity for single homeless people told Metro:
"Rough sleepers deserve better than to be treated as a nuisance – they may have suffered a relationship breakdown, a bereavement or domestic abuse. Those who sleep on the streets are extremely vulnerable and often do not know where to turn for help."
Councils failing to properly understand and tackle homelessness is most definitely not a new thing either. Oxford City Council last year proposed similar measures to those being offered up by Hackney but were subsequently shot down after an online petition received 72,000 signatories.
'Homeless spikes' appeared outside a block of London flats last summer but were quickly removed.
1.
The move has been prompted after local business owners complained that trade was being damaged due to "vagrants hanging around".
At the time of publication, a petition against the PCPO being implemented has reached nearly 13,000 signatories.
