Housing Justice on award shortlisted for campaign against plans to criminalise soup runs

Alison Gelder - image Flicker

Housing Justice, the ecumenical campaigning group has been shortlisted for a Liberty Human Rights Award, in recognition of the successful campaign we led against the proposed Westminster Council byelaw which would have made it a criminal offence to give food to people on the streets in Central London.

Along with three others, Housing Justice was nominated in the "Close to Home' category. The winner, announced at the South Bank on Tuesday 22 November, was Janis Sharp, for her passionate and sustained campaign to protect her son, Gary McKinnon, from facing extradition to the USA.

The campaign against the Westminster byelaw originates from the Soup Run Forum which Housing Justice convenes for churches and others involved in reaching out with food and other practical assistance to people on the streets.

Alastair Murray, Deputy Director, said: "We, along with all the churches in our membership network, were strongly opposed to the byelaw. For us as for many ordinary people it represented an attack upon compassion, common sense and common decency. And it would have done nothing to ameliorate the growing crisis of homelessness and poverty on our streets."

If the byelaw as originally proposed had been introduced it would also have made it a criminal offence for people to sleep on the street across a large area of Victoria in central London. This part of the byelaw was dropped following universally critical responses to the council's public consultation in March.

While Westminster Council has now dropped the proposed byelaw the council continues to assert that there is no need for people to access food on the streets of central London. Housing Justice and Soup Run Forum members hope that Westminster Council will help to find more indoor venues for groups who are currently forced to provide food outside due to a lack of available venues in Central London.

Alison Gelder, Director of Housing Justice, said: "We believe there is a greater need for services providing food and shelter, particularly as winter approaches and as the number of rough sleepers is on the rise. It was great to be recognised by Liberty for our work in leading this campaign, and we give our warmest congratulations to all the award winners"


Source: Housing Justice