Overview

• The government will repeal the 1824 Vagrancy Act by spring 2026 through amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, ending criminal penalties for sleeping rough in England and Wales.
• Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the move draws a line under nearly two centuries of injustice and paves the way for a new homelessness strategy to be published later this year.
• New offences for facilitating begging for gain and trespassing with intent will replace the Act’s powers to ensure police retain tools to tackle organised crime.
• The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has boosted homelessness services funding by £233 million this year, taking total investment to nearly £1 billion.
• Critics cite an 8 percent rise in rough sleeping in London to 4,427 in early 2025 and warn that decriminalisation could lead to tent cities without broader housing reforms.