Rough sleeping to be decriminalised

The government has announced it will repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824 by Spring next year, meaning rough sleeping is no longer a criminal offence.

While use of the Act has declined, it still remains enforceable in law.

The government has said it is repealing the Act to ensure rough sleeping is no longer a criminal offence, and it is concentrating its efforts on getting to the root causes of homelessness.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has boosted funding for homelessness services by an extra £233 million this financial year, bringing total investment for 2025-26 to nearly £1 billion.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister is also developing a new homelessness strategy with other government departments and mayors and councils, which will be published later this year.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “We are drawing a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society, who deserve dignity and support.

“No one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough and by scrapping this cruel and outdated law, we are making sure that can never happen again.”  

Minister for Homelessness Rushanara Ali said: “Today marks a historic shift in how we’re responding to the rough sleeping crisis, by repealing an archaic Act that is neither just nor fit for purpose.

“Scrapping the Vagrancy Act for good is another step forward in our mission to tackle homelessness in all its forms, by focusing our efforts on its root causes.”