Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle was sworn at and heckled during an emotion-charged meeting where councillors endorsed a proposal to ban public camping in the city.

On Tuesday evening, councillors voted 5-4 to seek to broaden the definition of camping, a move legal experts warn could lead to rough sleepers being forced to the outskirts of Melbourne or fined for sleeping with nothing more than "a cardboard box and blanket".

At one stage heckling prompted deputy lord mayor Arron Wood to warn that the meeting could be closed, as people yelled out "how insulting" and "this is bullshit".

The decision came despite homelessness groups and the Law Institute of Victoria condemning the plan, saying the police and council officers already had powers to tackle issues such as aggressive behaviour and public drunkenness.