The introduction of a new powers across the centre of Birmingham could have serious repercussions for rough sleepers, a campaigner has warned.

Joanne Shemmans is urging people to sign up to her petition to stop the introduction of the order, with a protest rally scheduled for the city centre tomorrow (Tuesday, May 21).

Last week, Birmingham City Council closed a month-long public consultation over a proposed Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for the city centre.

The council says that proposals are "to combat anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Birmingham City Centre ," with rules including a ban on threats or abuse, anti-social street drinking and begging.

People sleeping in Temple Row

The council is currently collating all of the responses and intelligence received through the consultation, and will use this to decide whether or not to go ahead with the order.

Some, however, say they are concerned that implementing the new order could lead to the targeting of rough sleepers.

Birmingham has seen a rise in its rough sleeper numbers in recent years, increasing from 55 in 2017 to 91 earlier this year. Joanne believes that it is these people who will suffer.

"A PSPO sets prohibitions for behaviours within a certain area," she says.

"So in some ways it’s a bit like an ASBO, but it’s got some specifics attached, this one, which can affect rough sleepers.

"So with this you can be picked up by the police if you leave your belongings in a doorway, or you yourself are obstructing a footpath. Now you’ve probably been through Birmingham city centre yourself in the morning, and you often see someone’s quilt or possessions left on the street because they’ve been sleeping rough.

The proposed area that the PSPO would cover
The proposed area that the PSPO would cover

"You often see people sitting on the pavements, potentially begging. They’re not bothering anyone, not causing any problems for anybody, but the worry is these people could be targeted by this particular legislation.

"And what potentially happens is, when a person is sleeping rough, they can be subject to a fine. Now obviously if you’re homeless you probably haven’t got the financial means to pay a fine, so you can see how that might escalate.

"Now in Birmingham itself at the moment there are just under 100 people sleeping rough. There are not enough beds for those people - you might hear people say ‘oh there’s a bed if somebody needs it’, but it’s not that simple.

"Some of the beds are only available in cold weather, some won’t take dogs, some rough sleepers are worried about security in places they stay overnight, with things getting stolen. So there are a lot of issues, it’s not that simple that people can just have a bed."

The rally will feature speeches from several Labour councillors, including former cabinet member Majid Mahmood.

Enough's enough: Cllr Majid Mahmood (Lab, Bromford and Hodge Hill), the Cabinet Member for Clean Streets, Waste and Recycling
Coun Majid Mahmood

Before starting the petition, Joanne stood as a ward councillor for the Labour Party in last year's local elections, though she missed out on a seat in the end.

But she also added that, were she to have stood on Labour's manifesto and won, she would have found it extremely difficult to support the implementation of the PSPO.

"I stood as the Labour candidate for Bartley Green last year, so I stood supporting Birmingham City Council’s manifesto. And it promoted itself as a very socialist manifesto, very much including and supporting people.

"But this seems to go against that for me. If I had been elected I would have felt very uncomfortable as a councillor with this being imposed. I mean I stood in Bartley Green, which is an economically deprived area, and there are a lot of people there on universal credit, people going to food banks, and there are a lot of issues that can impact families and people that could see them end up on the streets.

"And I would have felt really uncomfortable sitting on the council if something like this went through. From my own perspective as well, I was sofa surfing with my husband and son back in 2011/2012 for a year, although luckily we didn’t have to sleep rough. But I can appreciate some of the issues and how you might end up being homeless.

Homeless and freezing on streets of Birmingham

"I think the police already have powers to deal with anti-social behaviour, and that’s the key. And then there are the issues around drug and alcohol use - now I'm not saying that everybody who sleeps rough does have those issues, but we know that some people do. 

"And one of my worries is, you see pictures of people passed out, and for me as a human being, I’d be more worried about if people were OK, rather than trying to clear them off the streets. I see somebody passed out in the streets I’d call an ambulance, not think ‘oh we need to remove them’.

"Don’t get me wrong, I think our streets need to be safe - as a woman, when I go through the city centre I want to feel comfortable and I want to feel safe. And I completely understand people’s concerns.

"But I don’t think this is the answer. I think more support and working together with the the homeless charities in Birmingham is the way forward. The police already have powers to deal with antisocial behaviour in general."

You can find the petition here: http://bit.ly/309KLca