The 1824 Vagrancy Act makes it a crime to sleep rough or beg. In February 2021, Robert Jenrick MP said he believed the act should be "consigned to history." However, since then we have not had any updates. The act needs to be scrapped immediately and rough sleeping and begging must be legalised.
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Since 1824, the Vagrancy Act has made it a crime to sleep rough or beg. Scotland and Ireland have already repealed this outdated law, but it remains in force in England and Wales.
Thousands of people are still arrested under the act every year, and are charged extortionate fines that they are unable to pay. We have been calling for the act to be repealed for years, along with various homelessness charities. The act must go now.