Nottinghamshire rough sleepers threatened with fines
October 19, 2016 8:32 AM   Subscribe

BBC: Rushcliffe Borough Council said rough sleepers had been "causing a nuisance" in West Bridgford, a suburb of Nottingham nicknamed Bread and Lard Island because of its large houses. Campaign group Liberty said the fines were "cruel" and called on the government to scrap powers allowing them. Rushcliffe Borough Council said the fixed penalties were a "last resort". If people fail to pay the initial £100 fixed penalty notices they may be prosecuted, with the maximum fine being £1,000. posted by marienbad (11 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
For those not from the UK and not familiar with the terminology (myself is included in this): rough sleepers mean those who sleep outdoors (like homeless persons sleeping on benches), NOT people who tend to thrash about when sleeping in their own beds. I was throughly confused at first.

After I RTFA now I am bewildered.
posted by littlesq at 8:42 AM on October 19, 2016 [10 favorites]


Another front has been opened in the war on poverty. Huzzah.

"In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets, and steal loaves of bread."
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 8:49 AM on October 19, 2016 [12 favorites]


Oxford council had a proposal to do this a little while back, and it was shouted down by public outcry.

That was a little while back though, and some dark shit has been stirred in British politics and people since then...
posted by Dysk at 8:58 AM on October 19, 2016 [4 favorites]


That's my local council, gawd bless 'em. It's probably just a cynical attempt to make the homeless cross the bridge and sleep in Nottingham city centre, where they're in a different borough and are thus someone else's issue to deal with. Of course, the fact that these vulnerable people are much more likely to be physically abused in the city probably isn't a consideration.
posted by pipeski at 9:01 AM on October 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


The idea of fining people because they can't afford a place to live...
posted by musofire at 9:26 AM on October 19, 2016 [8 favorites]


If people fail to pay the initial £100 fixed penalty notices they may be prosecuted, with the maximum fine being £1,000.

Well this seems doomed to failure! You can issue as many penalty notices as you want but if someone can't pay £100 it seems unproductive to charge them £1000 in consequence! Someone should point out to them that this is harmful and farcical, they probably just didn't realize.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 9:36 AM on October 19, 2016 [8 favorites]


"At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge," said the gentleman, taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."

"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.

"Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

"And the Union workhouses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"

"They are. Still," returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were not."

"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?" said Scrooge.

"Both very busy, sir..."

"Those who are badly off must go there."

"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."

"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

posted by briank at 9:55 AM on October 19, 2016 [9 favorites]


Mrs Pterodactyl
If they can't pay the thousand pounds then you can throw them in prison. So it does get them off the streets....
But yes, someone should protest this.
posted by SyraCarol at 10:19 AM on October 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


Ironically, just around the corner from the Streetview photo in the article is the wonderful Friary, which is doing some amazing work for homeless people. I'd suggest that anyone locally who wants to protest this donates some money/food/furniture/toys/bedding etc. to the Friary, and then maybe follows that up with a letter to their local MP, Kenneth Clarke.
posted by pipeski at 10:59 AM on October 19, 2016


I had a recollection that Westminster council had also penalised homeless people for existing, but I misremembered. They merely banned those trying to feed them with soup runs. My mistake, carry on ...
posted by wilko at 12:54 PM on October 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


But for a man from Locksley....
posted by Ogre Lawless at 2:24 PM on October 19, 2016 [2 favorites]


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