Ban on begging to go into white paper

The government is expected to publish its white paper on antisocial
behaviour this week, with a strong pledge to tackle street beggars
and prevent children from behaving antisocially.

Winning Back Our Communities is expected to contain
details about making begging a recordable offence so that
convictions would form part of a criminal record.

The white paper is not expected to contain information on cutting
child benefit payments to parents of children who truant or offend.
However, it is likely to consider extending fixed penalty notices
to young people aged 16 and 17 on a trial basis and potentially to
children aged 10 to 16.

Shaks Ghosh, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis, said
any plans to make begging a recordable offence were “inappropriate,
ineffective, costly” and would not work.