By Eric King-
Windsor council leader Simon Dudley has called on police to rid the streets of rough sleepers and beggars ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May. His comments were branded “disgusting.”
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead councilor wrote to Thames Valley police on January 2. In his letter, he called on authorities to enforce legislation stipulating that rough sleepers be removed from the area ahead of the royal wedding.
He called homelessness an “epidemic” in a recent tweet.
In the letter addressed to the police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfield, the councilor outlines all the services offered to vulnerable residents in the town. They include a round-the-year emergency night shelter, a drug, and alcohol abuse service, as well as mental health support.
The Conservative council leader’s call comes five months before thousands congregate at Windsor to witness Prince Harry marry American TV reality star, Meghan Markle.
The pair will tie the knot on May 19 in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the Queen’s main weekend residence, which dates back to the 11th century. Dudley’s letter described homelessness as ”unacceptable’‘ in a ”compassionate society”.
“Homelessness is completely unacceptable in a compassionate community such as ours,” the counselor wrote, which was also sent to Prime Minister Theresa May and Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
But he adds that a “large number of adults that are begging in Windsor are not, in fact, homeless, and if they are homeless they are choosing to reject all support services …
“In the case of homelessness amongst this group, it is, therefore, a voluntary choice.”
Simon Dudley also raised concerns about “the quantities of bags and detritus that those begging are accumulating and leaving on our pavements, at times unattended… This is a significant security concern, especially given the national importance of Windsor.
Wisdom Da Costa, an independent councilor, said he disagreed with Simon Dudley’s approach. “I don’t believe banging them [homeless people] up is the right thing to do,” he said. “What we need is a multi-agency approach, and that means putting money behind an effort to get people off the streets and dealing with the issues.”
Da Costa said homelessness had become “more visible and more persistent” in the town center over the past year but said he had not encountered harassment. “I’ve been delighted by the response of hundreds of people in Windsor, who have provided food and blankets, who care about these people and want decent solutions,” he said. Windsor was “a beautiful place, but there is poverty here, areas of deprivation. We are one people and we need to work together.”