Homelessness No Longer a Crime in UK as Vagrancy Act Repealed
Charities say the repeal will help outreach workers build trust as the government shifts homelessness policy toward prevention and support.
- On Monday, June 29, 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed the formal repeal of the 1824 Vagrancy Act, which criminalized rough sleeping and begging in England and Wales.
- Housing Secretary Steve Reed welcomed the repeal, stating it shifts the government's approach "from punishment to prevention," as the 200-year-old law had long been criticized for penalizing individuals forced to sleep on the streets.
- New powers within the Crime and Policing Act, passed in April, facilitate the removal of the old legislation, with officials designing provisions to fill any legal "gap" left by the abolition.
- Calling the repeal a "watershed moment," Crisis Chief Executive Matt Downie praised the move, while St Mungo's Chief Executive Emma Haddad described the change as "an important shift towards a more humane approach."
- Alongside the repeal, The National Plan to End Homelessness includes a £159 million grant for supported housing helping over 2,500 people, while the upcoming Social Housing Bill strengthens protections for domestic abuse victims.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Homeless charities welcome scrapping of 200-year-old rough-sleeping laws
HOMELESS charities have welcomed the decriminalisation of rough sleeping as the government scraps a “deeply cruel” 200-year-old law on Monday.The Vagrancy Act, introduced in 1824 for the punishment of “idle and disorderly persons, and rogues and vagabonds,” will be repealed.Ministers had previously announced plans to repeal the law by spring this year, with fresh powers in Labour’s Crime & Policing Act passed in April intended to replace the…
UK Ends 200-Year-Old Vagrancy Law: What the Repeal Means for Rough Sleeping
The UK has formally repealed the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act, ending criminal penalties for rough sleeping under one of Britain's oldest laws. From 29 June, people in England and Wales can no longer be arrested or prosecuted simply for sleeping rough under the historic legislation. The change is widely seen as a symbolic break with centuries of policy that treated visible poverty as a matter for the courts rather than social support. The governmen…
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