A law against homelessness that has existed since before the reign of Queen Victoria, which made living on the streets a criminal act, has been repealed.
The UK Government removed the 1824 Vagrancy Act from the statute book on Monday (June 29), with the Napoleonic Wars-era law being the basis upon which homeless people have been criminalised for the past 200 years.
This change means that sleeping rough is no longer a crime, with officials hoping that this will encourage local authorities to support vulnerable people in finding accommodation, rather than using the act to penalise them and move them on.
And in Lancashire, which has more rough sleepers than the national average, the shift from criminalising homelessness to preventing it in the first place has been welcomed, including in the area with the highest number of rough sleepers in the county.
In Blackburn with Darwen, repealing the 1824 act is being seen as a reflection of the proactive approach they have been taking for years.
A 2024 snapshot found 11 rough sleepers across Blackburn with Darwen, but the council said at its last monthly count in June the number was just five, and this month has fallen to just two.
In the past 12 months, the authority’s housing team has supported 178 individuals and 82 families to prevent them from becoming homeless or sleeping rough. This help can take the form of everything from drug misuse interventions to simply helping people stay in their accommodation.
The council's homeless pods at Shadsworth have also been recognised as a powerful initiative to provide homeless people with somewhere safe and secure to sleep.
These measures are set to receive a further boost of £270,000 as part of the Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme if a report to the council’s executive board is approved later this week.
The money will go towards maintaining 30 housing options for the most vulnerable people in the borough who are at risk of sleeping on the streets.
Which is why Blackburn with Darwen’s Executive Member for Housing and Public Health, Councillor Damian Talbot, has welcomed the government's move towards compassion rather than criminalisation.
He said: “Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home, and our focus has always been on supporting people to move away from rough sleeping and rebuild their lives.
“These national changes reflect what we are already doing here in Blackburn with Darwen - taking a compassionate, practical approach that tackles the root causes of homelessness, not just the symptoms.
“Our Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme is making a real difference, helping people off the streets and into safe accommodation, with the support they need to move forward.
“Continuing this investment is essential to protect some of our most vulnerable residents and ensure we don’t see people returning to rough sleeping.”
Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw also welcomed the move and pointed out why criminalisation is not the answer to vagrancy.
He said: "Homelessness can affect anyone and is often shaped by complex circumstances, frequently linked to trauma and exploitation.
“I welcome the repeal of the outdated Vagrancy Act, which marks an important shift from punishment to prevention.
"Homelessness is best addressed through compassionate, multi-agency support. Continuing to treat it as a criminal matter is not only outdated but counterproductive, often pushing individuals further away from the support and services they need."
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In reality, many other laws and guidelines make helping people at risk of homelessness a legal requirement for councils. However, the axing of the Vagrancy Act marks a sea change in how the UK has responded to housing issues for generations.
Chief Executive of homelessness charity Crisis Matt Downie said: ” This is a watershed moment which marks the end of a deeply cruel policy of criminalising people because they are homeless.
“For more than 200 years, the Vagrancy Act has punished people who have been forced to sleep on the streets. This has pushed people in already vulnerable situations away from support services and into the shadows for fear of being penalised.
“Now, after decades of charities campaigning alongside politicians, law enforcement and people with lived experience of homelessness, we can come together to celebrate the end of this archaic law.”
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