Council Leader Orders Police To Remove Homeless People Before Royal Wedding

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Windsor council leader Simon Dudley has ordered the police to clear the streets of homeless people before the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May.

The Conservative leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, home to Windsor Castle, Eton College and the Ascot racecourse, wrote to Thames Valley police on January 2 demanding they use legal powers to clear the area of rough sleepers ahead of the royal wedding in May.

Dudley’s comments have been branded “disgusting.”

Simon Dudley, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

RT reports: He called homelessness an “epidemic” in a recent tweet.

In the letter addressed to the police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfield, the councillor outlines all the services offered to vulnerable residents in the town. They include a round-the-year emergency night shelter, a drug and alcohol abuse service, as well as mental health support.

The Conservative council leader issued the warning as tens of thousands of royalits are expected to flock to Windsor to see Prince Harry marry American TV reality star Meghan Markle.

They are due to tie the knot on May 19 in St George’s chapel at Windsor Castle, the Queen’s main weekend residence, which dates back to the 11th century.

“Homelessness is completely unacceptable in a compassionate community such as ours,” the councilor wrote, which was also sent to Prime Minister Theresa May and Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

But he adds that a “large number of adults that are begging in Windsor are not in fact homeless, and if they are homeless they are choosing to reject all support services …

“In the case of homelessness amongst this group, it is therefore a voluntary choice.”

Dudley also raised concerns about “the quantities of bags and detritus that those begging are accumulating and leaving on our pavements, at times unattended… This is a significant security concern, especially given the national importance of Windsor.

“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.”

Wisdom Da Costa, an independent councillor, said he disagreed with Dudley’s approach, according to the Guardian.

“I don’t believe banging them [homeless people] up is the right thing to do,” he said.

“What we need is a multi-agency approach, and that means putting money behind an effort to get people off the streets and dealing with the issues.”

The comments were unsurprisingly met with fierce criticism, with Windsor Homeless Project manager, Murphy James, branding the comments “disgusting.”

Others took to Twitter to express dismay, with one pleading with Dudley to show more “compassion.”

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