Windsor Council leader sparks fury with calls to clean-up ‘commercial’ begging ahead of royal wedding

IT’S supposed to be a fairytale day, but the leader of Windsor council has sparked a nightmare by calls to ban “commercial” homeless from the town centre.

THE council leader of the UK town where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to tie the knot in May has sparked a furore with calls to remove “aggressive” beggars from the streets ahead of the big day.

Leader of the royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Simon Dudley, said many of those sleeping rough were making a “commercial life choice” rather than being genuinely homeless.

He wrote an open letter to Thames Valley Police Commissioner Anthony Stansfield outlining his worries about “anti-social behaviour, including aggressive begging and intimidation” in the town that will host the royal wedding inside the Queen’s Windsor Castle estate and receives around seven million visitors a year.

“It is becoming increasingly concerning to see the quantities of bags and detritus that those begging are accumulating and leaving on our pavements, at times unattended, thus presenting a security risk,” he wrote.

“Obviously, 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. The whole situation also presents a beautiful town in a sadly unfavourable light.”

It is time for you to deal with this issue. This is not voluntary homelessness. It is commercial life choice praying on residents and tourists. It’s been going on and getting worse for months. Enough is enough

— Simon Dudley (@MrSimonDudley) December 27, 2017

Sadly there is an epidemic of rough sleeping and vagrancy in #Windsor @RBWM. I will be writing to @StansfeldPCC copying @TVP_Chief @Bhupinderrai70 at @ThamesVP @TVP_Windsor asking for them to focus on dealing with this before the #RoyalWedding

— Simon Dudley (@MrSimonDudley) December 27, 2017

St George's Chapel, Windsor where the wedding will be held. Seven million people already visit the town each year and it’s likely to be significantly more in 2018 because of the royal wedding. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Justin TALLIS

Mr Dudley said recent investment in local homeless services including emergency shelters and mental health centres has led him to believe many of those begging are “not in fact homeless” but making a lifestyle choice.

The comments have sparked outrage among charity groups and from many online, who have dubbed them “beyond parody” and tone-deaf given the lavish celebration that will take place inside St George’s Chapel on the 19 May.

Murphy James, of Windsor Homeless Project told the Independent: “It’s absolutely abhorrent that anybody has got these views in this day and age, especially a lead councillor of the borough.

“If somebody is sleeping out on the street they are not there by choice, they are there because something has gone wrong.”

“I went out on Christmas Day and there were 12 people laid out on Windsor High Street, they were not there by choice,” he said.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry at St Georges Chapel inside the Queen’s Windsor Estate in May. Picture: Alexi Lubomirski via Getty Images.

The royal couple have both done charity work in the past, with Prince Harry focusing specifically on mental health and homeless issues. Picture: Alexi Lubomirski via Getty Images.

Thames Valley police commissioner Anthony Stansfield said he was “somewhat surprised” by the letter and would respond in due course.

“Protecting the public is of the utmost importance to both myself and Thames Valley Police and the force work day in and day out to keep people safe from harm and make the Thames Valley a safe place to live, work and visit,” he said.

Mr Dudley’s comments have hit an extra nerve considering the high-profile work Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have done to raise awareness of mental health and homelessness.

Kensington Palace has not yet commented on the issue, however in 2017 the young royals carried out a “Heads Together” campaign which focused specifically on young people, homeless charities and veterans.

“They are passionate about tackling the stigma surrounding the issue. Too often, they have seen that people feel afraid to admit that they are struggling with their mental health. This fear of prejudice and judgment stops people from getting help and can destroy families and end lives. They want to help change the national conversation,” a spokesman for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry said at the time.