Labour Backs Down on Fines for Street Beggars

Labour-run Manchester council is set to back down over controversial fines for city centre begging which many people thought would be copied in places like Southport.

Labour’s latest draft ‘public space protection order’ for Manchester city centre removes any reference to begging from the council’s proposed ‘public space protection order’ while introducing £100 fines for a range of different behaviours.

The new draft regulation has cut out the proposal that originally said:

“No person shall beg for money or any other item in a public place in the ‘restricted area’ [the city centre] in a manner that causes or is likely to cause nuisance, annoyance, fear or distress for or to any other person.”

But it still includes a ban on (a) ‘obstructing’ the entrance or exit to any building or stairwell, or anything that could block street cleaning, pedestrians or vehicles and (b) public urination or defecation, the discarding of hypodermic needles anywhere other than a sharps bin, or putting up a tent or ‘other temporary structure’ that could attract vermin, or be likely to create a health and safety risk.

Labour’s  begging clause, which has been branded a ‘homeless tax’ and criticised by many organisations including Liberty , which had threatened Labour councillors with legal action, has now been removed. Aside from the begging clause, the rest of the draft PSPO remains the same.