1824 Vagrancy Act

The Vagrancy Act 1824 (5 Geo. 4. c. 83) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that makes it a crime to sleep rough or beg in England and Wales. The law was passed to combat the increasing number of people forced to live on the streets at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the social effects of the Industrial Revolution. Critics of the law include William Wilberforce, who condemned the Act for making vagrancy a crime with no consideration of the circumstances as to why an individual might be homeless.

Parts of the Act have not been repealed by UK Parliament. Most of its legal provisions remain convictable offences and are enforceable in England. In 2020, 573 people were prosecuted under the act.

It was repealed in Scotland in 1982.

In 2023 Rishi Sunak's government were considering a new law. This would make anyone who is sleeping rough, or “appearing” as though they are or intending to do so in future and who could cause or are “likely to cause” a “nuisance” a criminal. Punishment could be a month’s imprisonment and/or fines of up to £2,500.