A council announced plans last year to controversially start handing out fines to those who are homeless and sleeping rough.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council hoped the plan would encourage people to accept support and get them off of the streets and into housing.

KMTV report on Tunbridge Wells council's failure to impose a single fine

However as of yet not a single public space protection order (PSPO) has been handed out.

Councillor Carol Machonokie has welcomed the news saying it is 'very good news'.

She said: "We know we have now given out warnings and we have explained how PSPOs work to rough sleepers regarding their behaviour but we have not actually issued a fixed penalty notice and that is very good news.

" So you might think of that as being a failure but we actually see it as a real success. To not have issued any fines is really great. Anti social behaviour has reduced as well. So for us it is a win, win."

Cllr Machonokie went on to explain they were not put in place to make it worse but to make a 'holistic outcome'.

She added:"We don't want them creating problems, it is a sad situation to be in, you don't want to make it worse and generally we look for a much more holistic outcome anyway. There are a lot of meetings, a lot of different bodies who get involved to help these people.
"Homelessness is a problem across the board I wouldn't say Tunbridge Wells is particularly worse than other places but we are having successes as far as I'm concerned and I am really pleased about that.

"I would say PSPO's are there as a deterrent you don't want to make peoples lives worse and that is the absolute point of it and we don't want to have to do that and that is something we have had the benefit of not having to do."

But the issue of homelessness is still a significant one not only in Kent, but across the country, despite national figures showing numbers are actually on the decrease for the first time in eight years.

But John Handle, from homeless charity The Bridge Trust, fears the issue needs to be directly tackled rather than just moved elsewhere.

He said:"These public spaces protection orders have been running for about a year now and it is an interesting question why have no fines been issued and I think there are probably two reasons for that; one that they just haven't been using them or two they have been using them in the right way.

"I did fear to start with that they would be using these orders just to sweep the problem of homelessness off of the streets but to be fair I don't think that's what they have been using them for.

"I think the penalty notice is the final resort, no one wants to fine or penalise people for sleeping rough and I think the council are the same in Tunbridge Wells, they want to address the problem and they have put in place rough sleeper initiatives and have got central government funding to do that so there are actually services and help that they can realistically offer to homeless people.

"I was actually quite vocal objecting to them when the council first proposed them but part of their release of the PSPOs they said they would use them sympathetically and I think what they have turned out to be is a vehicle for the council officers and police to actually approach rough sleepers.

"I would say I don't think sleeping rough it itself is anti social behaviour but if they are causing an obstruction and are causing noise or maybe they are drunk that is a different matter.

"Initially I was sceptical but I was reassured by the housing officers and the council that they would be used sympathetically and I believe that is what has happened, so if that's right, then all power to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for they help they are actually giving.

"Everyone deserves an opportunity to have a home of their own and the whole of society should gather round and support efforts to get homeless people off of the streets."

Tunbridge wells can also boast the joint lowest homeless figures in the county, but despite this the council want to make clear that it’s not the act of rough sleeping that they want to fine, but the behaviour that arises.

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