'Vile begging tax' for Worthing town centre is scrapped

Known as a public space protection order (PSPO) it was introduced by Worthing Borough Council in 2016 under the Conservatives at a time when concerns about ‘aggressive’ street begging in the town centre was rife.

But the move was also widely condemned and a petition with 86,000 signatures argued it would target the homeless and, in the words of new cabinet member for community wellbeing Rosie Whorlow, ‘send them into a debt spiral’.