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Councils may introduce “exclusion zones” for homeless migrants (23 December 2013)

Date: 23/12/2013
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Councils may introduce “exclusion zones” for homeless migrants

An exclusion zone is to be set around central London landmarks and transport centres such as Victoria Station to prevent new migrants to the UK sleeping rough in these areas.

The new laws known as Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) will come into effect in April 2014, months after border restrictions are lifted for Bulgarians and Romanians on 1 January.

Eastern European Roma gypsies are currently camping out in Hyde Park and in the streets of Mayfair in central London, where some of the most expensive real estate in the world is located.

Many Bulgarians and Romanians already live and work in the UK, however, in jobs in the NHS and sectors such as retail and hospitality, which Britons are reluctant to take because of the long hours and low wages offered.

The exclusion zone set by the PSPOs would ringfence an area of central London from Marble Arch to Park Lane and Victoria Station, where many new migrants arrive on coaches from Eastern Europe and make their way to the West End in London – just a short bus ride away.

The move is intended to protect London’s famous landmarks from becoming squatters’ camps for homeless migrants.

Westminster Council has been trying to remove Roma communities living rough in the West End for 18 months.

The Mail online reports that other councils in London and across the UK may also use PSPOs to prevent homeless migrants squatting on streets and green spaces in cities and towns.

Prime Minister David Cameron has already fast-tracked changes to benefit eligibility for newcomers to the UK, meaning that Bulgarians and Romanians will have to wait three months before being able to claim out-of-work benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance and Housing Benefit.

A six-month limit has been imposed on the length of any benefit claim for new migrants – and after six months new migrants could only continue to claim if they had a genuine possibility of getting work in the UK.

Migrants removed from the UK would have to wait for 12 months before re-entering the country.

Obtaining benefits when homeless can already prove difficult for rough sleepers in the UK if they do not have an address, such as a hostel address.

Homeless hostels charge for accommodation, however, and without the funds to pay for this, some rough sleepers become trapped in a cycle of sleeping rough and relying on help from outreach workers to help them find shelter and access benefits.

The government has not issued any estimate of how many newcomers might arrive from Eastern Europe when border restrictions are lifted on Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January – some estimates are in the region of 50,000 new migrants every year for five years.

PSPOs form part of the government’s new Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill currently being read by Parliament.

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