Civil rights group opposes Stockton aggressive begging ban plan

Stockton Council said a quarter of complaints to its civic enforcement team were about aggressive begging

A civil rights group is opposing a plan to tackle "aggressive begging".

Stockton Council is considering introducing a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in the town centre which could see people fined for begging, rummaging in bins and spitting.

Liberty said the plan "smacks of social cleansing" and would be a "blunt tool to punish poverty".

The council said the potential order would protect vulnerable people from being targeted by beggars.

'No option'

In a letter to the council's crime and disorder committee, Liberty said: "We are concerned that the council is seeking to make a PSPO which targets begging in order to remove some of its most vulnerable community members from its streets.

"This smacks of social cleansing and is very concerning."

The group said the council should address the causes of homelessness rather than move people on "who have no option but to beg".

Liberty lawyer Lara ten Caten said: "Criminalising rough sleeping and begging is a shocking way of dealing with an issue that is only likely to become more severe as we enter winter."

The council said it was listening to all opinions before it made a decision on what to do early in 2022.

Aggressive begging accounts for about one in four reports made to the council's civic enforcement service, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council is recruiting 12 new enforcement officers to "deal with aggressive begging and parking problems".

'Very emotive'

Steve Nelson, cabinet member for access and community safety, said they wanted people to feel safe when going into towns to shop, do business or enjoy nights out.

He said begging was a "very emotive subject", and added: "We understand that and we also understand there can be a whole range of reasons behind begging.

"People see beggars and they assume they're rough sleepers, which in our borough is hardly ever the case.

"Like most complex problems, it's about finding a fair balance."

He said beggars were offered support and help to deal with issues such as drug or alcohol dependency.

"The problems occur when begging spills over into aggressive behaviour or harassment, which can be very frightening for those on the receiving end of it," he said.

"In those cases we have to step in to protect the public and if such behaviour continues, it leaves us with no choice but to take formal action as a last resort."