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Rough sleeper lost right to sell Big Issue
Big Issue seller John Chivers on Bridge Street, Peterborough. Photo: Peterborough ET
A rough sleeper was stopped from selling The Big Issue because he was homeless and turned down support from Peterborough City Council.
Long-term Big Issue vendor John Chivers (49) has spoken of his disbelief after his livelihood was taken from him in a bizarre bid to make him accept help for his homelessness.
Mr Chivers, who has been selling the magazine for 22 years, had been sleeping in a tent on the Embankment since mid-November after he split up with his partner.
He was discovered by the council in January but refused help on the grounds he was content in his tent and did not know whether he was planning to stay in the city.
Following talks between the council and Bretton-based homeless charity Peterborough Streets, The Big Issue’s local agents, it was agreed that the homeles charity should take his copies of the magazine away from him.
He said: “I was gutted. It was my income. I thought ‘what am I going to do?’ I thought ‘talk about kicking a guy when he’s down’.”
He said he thought it was “totally reverse” to deprive a homeless person of the ability to sell a magazine which seeks to tackle homelessness.
Mr Chivers was briefly allowed to sell it again after agreeing with the council that he would stay at his former home three nights a week.
But he lost his vendor’s badge again after officers found him sleeping rough on the Embankment on the other nights. It left Mr Chivers sitting at his former patch in Bridge Street, near WH Smith, relying on donations from shoppers.
After the ET made enquiries to the council and The Big Issue on Monday, Mr Chivers was told on Tuesday by Peterborough Streets that he could have his badge back.
While he says he does not know why he has been given it back he is delighted to be selling the magazine again.
He said: “I can hold my head up again. I haven’t got to sit here looking at people’s shoes all day.
“But it should never have happened. It’s ridiculous. I wasn’t bothering anybody. I wasn’t troubling anybody. I was happy in my tent. I was earning money.”
A council spokeswoman said: “The council had asked if Peterborough Streets could help in any way to get Mr Chivers to sort out his accommodation problem. After lots of conversation it was decided to take away his supply of The Big Issue.
“The council has a duty to help people who are sleeping rough. With falling temperatures, these are dangerous conditions for someone living in a tent.”
The Big Issue, which according to its website aims to offer the most excluded people an opening to take control of their lives and earn a legitimate income, said it did not comment on individual cases. Peterborough Streets refused to comment.
How events unfolded
1. John Chivers is discovered by council officials sleeping rough in a tent near the Embankment.
2. Council officials plead with him to talk to them about finding acccommodation - but he refuses.
3. The council asks if staff at the city’s homeless charity, Peterborough Streets, can help get Mr Chivers to talk to officials.
4. After a discussion, it was agreed Peterborough Streets would take Mr Chivers’ copies of The Big Issue from him - leaving him without the means of making money and effectively forcing him to speak to council officials.
5. It works. Mr Chivers talks to council staff and agreement is reached on where he should live. His Big Issues are returned.
6. Mr Chivers returns to living rough.
7. Council staff find out Mr Chivers has returned to his old ways.
8. Peterborough Streets take away his ID badge that allows him to sell Big Issues in the city centre.
9. Mr Chivers returns to talk to local authority staff about getting help with his accommodation.
10. His Big Issue identity badge is restored to him.
The key agencies:
Peterborough City Council is responsible for ensuring people do not have to sleep rough in the city
Peterborough Streets act as the agent for Big Issue in the city.
Big Issue supplies more than 125,000 copies of the magazine every week and each year puts more than £5million in the pockets of its army of vendors.
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
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