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Labour have called on the prime minister to condemn the comments made by the Tory leader of her local council who is calling for the homeless to be 'treated like criminals'.

Simon Dudley, who is the Conservative leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, voiced concerns that homeless people begging "presents a beautiful town in a sadly unfavourable light" and would be bad for Windsor's reputation.

He wrote to Thames Valley police asking them to act against “aggressive begging and intimidation” and “bags and detritus” on the streets of the borough.

Labour's Andrew Gwynne has slammed the government's record on homelessness as a 'national scandal' which 'can't be swept under the carpet.

The shadow local government minister said: "While many families spent this Christmas without a home to call their own, the leader of Theresa May's Council was pleading for these people to be treated like criminals.



"The Prime Minister needs to immediately condemn these comments."

(Image: PA)

Theresa May's local Tory council has called for police to remove homeless people before the Royal wedding.

Simon Dudley, who is the Conservative leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, voiced concerns that homeless people begging "presents a beautiful town in a sadly unfavourable light" and would be bad for Windsor's reputation.

He wrote to Thames Valley police asking them to act against “aggressive begging and intimidation” and “bags and detritus” on the streets of the borough.

The letter to the police and crime commissioner Anthony Stansfeld follows a series of tweets sent by Dudley while on a skiing holiday in Wyoming over Christmas about “an epidemic of rough sleeping and vagrancy in Windsor”.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld has said he is "surprised" that the letter has been released publicly but not yet sent directly to him.

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

He said the issues had not been raised when he attended a council meeting in October but promised to respond when he received the letter.

Mr Stansfield said: “Supporting the vulnerable, including the homeless, is a priority within my Police and Crime Plan and I have previously provided funding to homeless shelters in Berkshire."

Although Dudley boasted about Windsor and Maidenhead's homeless provision, he said the council believes "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 to beg on the streets of Windsor.

"In the case of homelessness amongst this group, it is therefore a voluntary choice."

(Image: PA)

He 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.

Rather than applying for powers to fine those who are sleeping rough, called public space protection orders and used by other councils to impose charges of up to £1,000, Dudley is instead asking the police to use current powers to tackle vagrancy.

Hackney council came under fire when they launched the PSPOs which handed rough sleepers a £100 fixed penalty notice that can rise 10-fold in court.

(Image: Getty)

Dudley said that the orders are not "appropriate" for the problem in Windsor and "even if we did secure a PSPO for Windsor, this would take considerable time, extending well beyond the Royal Wedding – and there would be no police resources to enforce the PSPO."

He said that the "level of tourist interest is set to multiply with the Royal Wedding in May 2018, and there are increased concerns from our residents about their safety".

Thousands are expected to flock to Windsor when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry tie the knot in St George's Chapel on May 19 this year.

The chapel, which is part of Windsor Castle, has hosted royal weddings for centuries.