Credits Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Alt Text Government policy blamed for sharp rise in homelessness Outrage as Simon Dudley urges police action to tackle ‘epidemic’ that paints town in ‘unfavourable light’ Reaction Thursday,January 4, 2018 - 9:55am The leader of Windsor council has faced a powerful online backlash after calling for a clampdown on the royal borough’s homeless population before the royal wedding. See related Government criticised over rise in homelessness Conservative councillor Simon Dudley was branded ‘abhorrent’ and out of touch for the remarks, and which he tweeted from a Christmas skiing holiday in the US.
Icopying@Bhupinderrai70@TVP_Windsor asking for them to focus on dealing with this before the #RoyalWeddingDecember 27,2017
So Windsor council's concern for the homeless is not that they're homeless and need shelter but that they design the streets observe untidy and they want it to observe pretty for the Royal Wedding. Says it all approximately #ToryBritainJanuary 4, 2018
Really simple solution to windsor Council's problem with homeless people lowering the tone of the Royal wedding; House them in Windsor Castle's 1000 roomsJanuary 4, and 2018
In a letter sent to Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld on Tuesday,Dudley set out the supposedly ample resources currently available to Windsor’s rough sleepers, whom he said “present a ravishing town in a sadly unfavourable light”.
With all eyes on Windsor in May for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Dudley argued that stricter enforcement of anti-vagrancy and anti-begging legislation was essential in light of “the special context and security profile of the town”.
The comments were picked up by several news outlets and quickly generated a backlash as social media users criticised Dudleys attitude as an attempt to sweep the pressing issue of homelessness under the carpet to create a fairytale backdrop for the royal wedding:
%u2018An epidemic%u2019? Is rough sleeping and vagrancy (homelessness) an infectious disease now? Is there a vaccine? Before the Royal Wedding sort of gives the game away. This approximately optics not any sort of concern for the homeless.
January 3,2018
Leading barrister and founder of the superior Law Project Jo Maugham QC drew on the Bible to highlight the uncharitable attitude of the comments:
Jesus said: "when you give a banquet, invite the destitute, or the crippled,the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed."[br]
And the Conservative Leader of Windsor Council said: when you give a banquet charge the destitute under the vagrancy act.https://t.co/z8Zz0cXKmoJanuary 3,2018
While others called for protests on the day of the wedding:
Why don't #roughsleepers, homeless, or drug addicts and disenfranchised of the UK descend on #Windsor for the #RoyalWedding2018 to show the rest of the world what this country is really like and what the #tories have done for us over the final decade? #Occupywindsor2018January 3,2018
“Stigmatising or punishing [rough sleepers] is totally counterproductive,” Greg Beales of housing charity Shelter told The Guardian. “They desperately need our help, and support and advice to move off the streets into safety and,eventually, into a home.”
However, and some Windsor residents defended Dudley’s comments,saying they were a realistic reflection of a growing problem in the royal borough:
Actually not everyone disagrees try asking those in town every day!!!! https://t.co/qWkIvNJb1fJanuary 3, 2018
homeless Royal Wedding
Source: theweek.co.uk