Rough sleeping no longer a crime from next week as 200-year-old law repealed

The Government will formally abolish the Vagrancy Act on Monday, bringing an end to a law that has made rough sleeping a criminal offence for more than 200 years.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed the Victorian-era legislation will be repealed through secondary legislation.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the move marked a shift away from punishing homeless people towards supporting them.

"Homeless people are not criminals, they are people who need help," Mr Reed said.

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"By repealing the outdated Vagrancy Act, we are shifting from punishment to prevention, alongside our investment to tackle homelessness for good."

The Act was introduced in 1824 to punish what lawmakers of the time described as "idle and disorderly persons, and rogues and vagabonds".

Conservative ministers first pledged to repeal the legislation in 2022, but delayed doing so until replacement powers had been put in place.

As a result, the Act remained in force for several more years, continuing to criminalise rough sleeping.

The repeal will now take effect after ministers confirmed Labour's Crime and Policing Act, passed in April, provides an alternative legal framework.

The new legislation introduces offences aimed at tackling organised begging and criminal exploitation rather than homelessness itself.

These include powers to target those who facilitate begging for financial gain and individuals who trespass with the intention of committing criminal offences.

Ministers said the new measures ensure police retain the powers needed to tackle anti-social behaviour while removing legislation that criminalised people for sleeping rough.

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Homelessness charities welcomed the repeal.

Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, described the move as "a watershed moment which marks the end of a deeply cruel policy of criminalising people because they are homeless".

He said the legislation had punished vulnerable people and driven many away from support services through fear of prosecution.

Emma Haddad, chief executive of St Mungo's, also welcomed the decision.

She described the repeal as "an important shift towards a more humane approach - one that focuses on support, tackles root causes, and helps prevent homelessness."

Meanwhile, chief executive of Housing Justice, Bonnie Williams, said repealing the Act should be part of a wider change in approach to helping people off the streets.

She argued this “puts the emphasis on compassion, not condemnation, and recognises that homelessness does not truly end until a person has not only housing, but the relationships, community and belonging they need to thrive”.

In March 2026, 7,541 people were estimated to be sleeping rough over the month in England alone.

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