Today the Liberal Democrats will set out a bold plan to
end rough sleeping within five years, spanning social
housing, welfare, local authority funding and legal changes.
Shadow Housing Secretary Tim Farrondeclared that “nobody should
have to spend a night sleeping on the streets” and announced a
package of measures to prevent rough sleeping, including:
- Scrapping the Vagrancy Act
- Introducing a “somewhere safe to stay” duty on local
authorities to provide immediate emergency accommodation
- Abolishing Section 21 “no fault” evictions
- Increasing Local Housing Allowance payments
- Providing accommodation and support for survivors of domestic
abuse
- Extending the “move on” period for refugees from 28 days to
56
The latest government figures show that, under the Conservatives,
the number of rough sleepers in England on a single night has
risen by 31% since 2015, to 4,677. In 2018, 1,320 people were
prosecuted under the Vagrancy Act, according to the homelessness
charity Crisis.
Announcing the plan, , Liberal Democrat Shadow
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,
said:
“Nobody should have to spend a night sleeping on the streets. It
is the most shameful example of the failure of this Conservative
Government to provide a safety net for those who need it.
“The Conservatives are sitting on their hands, failing to protect
the most vulnerable people in society. They haven’t built enough
social housing, their benefit cuts have made poverty worse, and
they blocked Liberal Democrat efforts to repeal the cruel,
Dickensian law that criminalises people just for sleeping
rough.
“The plan we’re setting out today will build a brighter future by
ending rough sleeping within five years. We will make sure that
everyone has a decent home so they can live with dignity.
“The other parties pay lip service to this goal, but only the
Liberal Democrats have the clear and credible policies to
actually achieve it.”
