PLANS to ban “persistent begging” in Oxford by the city council have been criticised by groups that support homeless people.

They say the proposed Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which looks to stop antisocial behaviour in the city centre, would “criminalise vulnerable people”.

Those in breach could be handed an on-the-spot fixed penalty notice of £100, or could face going to court.

On Tuesday the council’s scrutiny committee met to discuss the PSPO, which included “persistent begging” in its list of banned activities.

But in a joint letter to the council, organisations including Crisis Skylight Oxford and The Gatehouse took issue with the use of the term “persistent”.

They wrote: “We believe banning begging could criminalise vulnerable people, lead to fines being levied which cannot be paid and displace vulnerable people away from services which can support them.”

Jason March-Frater, a project worker at The Gatehouse, said: “I was homeless for about 28 years and I used to beg.

“It was sometimes really difficult to obtain money.

“If we’re talking about a fine, that would be difficult because they won’t be able to pay.”

Lesley Dewhurst, chief executive of Oxford Homeless Pathways, added: “My issue was that there wasn’t enough detail as to what they meant by ‘persistent’ begging.

“There’s a difference between people who are begging, and being aggressive or behaving in an anti-social way.”

In a recent statement from Oxford City Council, the item’s title was changed to “persistent and aggressive begging”.

But documents viewed by the scrutiny committee still only read “persistent begging”.

Richard Adams, the city council’s environmental protection service manager, defended the use of “persistent” rather than “persistent and aggressive” at the meeting.

He said: “It’s not just about being aggressive.

“You could stand right next to the bank machine and say, ‘Have you got any change?’ and people may still feel intimidated.

“There are loopholes.

“If you want to earn a living from begging, you could just be polite. This is about trying to keep up with the sophistication of some people begging on the street.”

Councillor Dee Sinclair, executive board member for crime, community safety and licensing, told the committee: “When I was Lord Mayor, I chose Crisis Skylight as my chosen charity.

“Fines for begging would not be the immediate option and the city council is very keen to work with its partners.”

Following a public consultation earlier this year, the council did propose to remove some proposals from the PSPO.

A report from Mr Adams said feeding pigeons, for instance, could be “more effectively tackled by methods other than fining people”.

It also said it would no longer include rules to prevent people sleeping on the streets if they already had accommodation.