Cash doesn't help beggars, says 'Big Issue' founder

The founder of The Big Issue, the magazine for the homeless, has criticised handouts to beggars and said those sleeping rough should be removed from the streets.

John Bird, a beggar for 20 years before starting the magazine in 1991, said that giving money to beggars was "murdering" any chance that they had of getting off the streets because they were not forced to seek any alternative life. "Begging is bad for both the giver and the receiver," he said.

He also called for more treatment centres and accommodation across the country and the enforcement of laws allowing the removal of people sleeping rough, in a pamphlet published today by the think-tank Politeia. He said vagrancy laws were rigorously enforced until 20 years ago. "Let's give people the alternative to the streets. People shouldn't have the right to sleep on the streets, they are deteriorating on the streets. I keep meeting mentally and physically ill people in the street. We have a responsibility to use the Mental Health Act, largely, to section people to remove them from the streets and to take them to a place of safety."

His demand to remove those from the streets was criticised by homeless groups. Shelter said if begging was taken away, the homeless were left with crime or prostitution as sources of income. Crisis – the national charity that today opens its shelters for 900 homeless people over Christmas – said vagrants should not be compelled to leave the streets.

"Begging is not a healthy activity but if we want to stop people begging, coercion is not the answer," a spokeswoman said. She echoed Mr Bird's demands for more hostel places.