Rise in homeless deaths demands end of Vagrancy Act
Tuesday, 1 October 2019 11:48
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran has renewed her call for the
Vagrancy Act to be scrapped following the publication of new
ONS statistics revealing a rise in the deaths of homeless people in
2018. The ONS data shows that there were an estimated 726 deaths in
2018, an increase of over 20% on the previous year. The highest
numbers of deaths were recorded in the North West (77) and in
London (110). Layla Moran said: “These figures are simply shocking.
Clearly it takes more than a...Request free trial
Liberal Democrat MP has renewed her call for the
Vagrancy Act to be scrapped following the publication of new
ONS statistics revealing a rise in the deaths of homeless people in
2018.
The ONS data shows that there were an estimated 726 deaths in 2018,
an increase of over 20% on the previous year. The highest numbers
of deaths were recorded in the North West (77) and in London
(110).
said:
“These figures are simply shocking. Clearly it takes more than a
rough sleeping strategy document and the creation of a Minister for
Homelessness to fix this epidemic. We should all be deeply ashamed
that this is getting even worse.
“This out of sight, out of mind mentality needs to stop now. People
are dying, and we need to take a more compassionate approach to
ending this homelessness crisis. We must protect the most
vulnerable people in our society, but instead the Tories are
sitting on their hands.
“We first need to scrap the cruel, Dickensian Vagrancy Act, which
criminalises rough sleeping. The Conservatives are more than
welcome to bring back my Bill that would repeal it in a
heartbeat.
“The Liberal Democrats demand better. We would also build up to
100,000 social homes a year to provide the accommodation and
support people need.”
ENDS
Notes for editors:
The full data set can be downloaded from the ONS here.
A summary of the ONS’ findings can be read here.
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