Mev Brown: City begging for a change in culture

Published on Wednesday 1 September 2010 19:47

As debate rages over begging in the Capital, Mev Brown examines the issues behind the problem and asks how we can address it

The debate in Edinburgh about begging has been dragging on for months, with the council still unable to make any firm decisions, although there is talk of introducing so-called "giving boxes", which have already failed in Aberdeen.

There are many factors to consider in this debate.

Firstly, there are the financial issues. On an average day, a beggar could reasonably expect to earn between 20 and 50. There are seasonal variations, and some "pitches" are more lucrative than others, but Edinburgh residents are pretty generous.

The highest earnings typically go to young women begging around the West End and Lothian Road areas on weekend nights.

When teenage revellers see their peers begging rather than out having fun they can be sympathetic, a wee bit drunk and very generous. And this can generate earnings in excess of 100.

Beggars on Jobseeker's Allowance can easily more than double their 65 per week in benefits.

For those on top-rate Disability Living Allowance plus Incapacity Benefits of around 210 per week, begging still provides a significant boost to their income.

Secondly, there is the homeless issue. The term "homeless" is often misunderstood. Homeless means you don't have a home. Roofless means you don't have a roof over your head. Homeless doesn't mean the homeless have nowhere to sleep.

The council operates its own hostels and there are other hostels operated by various charities which get funding from housing benefits.

The irony is that for many who are roofless, it is because the accommodation provided by the council has a curfew, which could seriously impact the income from begging.

That said, there is a lot of peer support within the homeless community and many in this situation arrange to stay with friends.

Thirdly, there is the addictions issue. While there are the "professional" beggars, there are many who beg to fund their addiction, whether alcohol or drugs.

There is a separate and on-going debate in the Scottish Parliament concerning alcohol abuse and antisocial behaviour, and hopefully they will come up with some sort of a solution in due course.

Regarding drugs, some argue that if addicts can fund their addiction by begging rather than, say, shoplifting then that is a good thing. Others argue that if the public funds an addiction, then that is a bad thing.

Fourthly, there have been separate concerns and calls for action over aggressive begging. Aggressive begging is invariably the result of a "turf war" between two beggars over a lucrative pitch.

This results in the "resident" beggar becoming aggressive towards the public, which results in both beggars making no money.

Many residents will have noticed beggars working in shifts on certain pitches. Good pitches have to be worked constantly to maximise revenues, and, as the old saying goes: "bums reserve seats".

There are many other issues relation to begging.

For example, Britain is a nation of animal lovers and many Edinburgh residents do not give money to beggars, but they will give to a dog.

This leads to concerns over the use of dogs as a begging prop, particularly where one dog is being shared amongst a team of beggars.

In recent years, there has been an influx of organised foreign gangs operating in Edinburgh. To even the most casual of observers, this surely demonstrates the financial benefits of begging in this city.

A key question is: If begging was illegal, how could it be enforced?

The obvious answer would to be to confiscate all monies.

If the beggar has a dog, it should be taken into care. Circuses are no longer allowed to exploit animals, why should beggars?

Beyond that, Asbos and on-the-spot fines could also be used.

Finally, to give some historical context, in the early 1980s the Labour administration repealed the Edinburgh Corporate Order, which cleared the obstacles to allow begging on the streets of Edinburgh.

I would like to have witnessed the debate when a Labour chief stood up to say: "What we really need is beggars – and lots off them."

Some might take the view that Labour simply wanted a visual demonstration of the impact of the Thatcher government's cuts – and what better demonstration could there be than streets full of beggars? But that would be a rather cynical view.

To step back for a moment Britain, as a nation, is generous.

Whenever there is a natural disaster around the world, Britain invariably donates more per capita than any other nation.

There is something in the national DNA, something to be proud of.

But, when it comes to begging, I see no justification on the basis of income, homelessness or the public funding of substance abuse.

And I can see no reason why our politicians continue to allow socially dysfunctional behaviour on the streets of our city.

Many see begging as an emotional issue. Well, possibly - but I don't. I see the job of politicians and government as promoting and rewarding good behaviour, whilst discouraging and preventing bad behaviour. Not the other way around.

&#149 Mev Brown works with the homeless in Edinburgh and is standing as an independent candidate in next month's Liberton/Gilmerton by-election