Stamford Town Council warned that beggars targeting Christmas shoppers arrive by minibus and are not homeless

Beggars targeting Christmas shoppers arrive by minibus and are not homeless, a town council has been told.

Speaking at a meeting of Stamford Town Council on Tuesday (November 26), Coun Max Sawyer, who is the police liaison to the council, said he had been told that at least some of the beggars operating in the High Street were not homeless.

“Apparently they are being brought in on a minibus and pool their resources at the end of the day,” he said.

Begging has been a crime under the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act, although in 2022 Rishi Sunak’s Government announced this will be repealed to make way for a new law that would make ‘nuisance begging’ a crime, such as asking for money next to cash machines.

In the past, police in Stamford have cautioned people against giving money to beggars, saying those who are genuinely homeless can receive structured support funded by the local authority.

They have also said people should be aware that Big Issue sellers have a specific location in which they are licensed by the charity to work, and they should not sell outside this.

In his report to the council meeting, Coun Sawyer also mentioned that a drugs problem in Elizabeth Road in Stamford seemed to have died down, and that anti-social behaviour in Tolethorpe Square, Abbotts Close and Highgrove Gardens were also dealt with.