Charity money 'remains locked up'

Four charities were supposed to benefit from the money collected

Money collected through a project set up to help get beggars off the streets of Brighton is still locked in charity boxes, it has been revealed.

Collection boxes were distributed in the city after the government mounted a campaign to encourage people to stop giving cash to individual beggars.

It came after claims that beggars were intimidating and bad for trade.

Three years on many charities meant to benefit have not received any money and beggars are still on the streets.

We clearly need to speak urgently to the charities involved about how and when the money will be used Brighton and Hove City Council statement

Four charities were supposed to receive money - Equinox, a day centre for street drinkers; Aspire, a charity which gave work to the homeless but has closed down; Brighton Housing Trust and St Patrick's Trust, a homeless shelter.

But most of the money from the "Begging for Change" campaign is still locked in the charity boxes.

Only St Patrick's Trust said it had received any money - £1,100 - but were keeping it in the bank because no-one could say what do to with it.

The government said at first that although it was involved in the launch it was Brighton and Hove City Council's responsibility to manage the scheme.

'Monitoring role'

But then the government said it was the charities that should have been involved in distributing the money.

The city council said it was never involved in managing the scheme and just helped publicise it.

A statement from the council said: "We will now be seeking a monitoring role when the scheme is relaunched.

"We will be checking as a matter of urgency to ensure the funds collected are safe in a charity bank.

"We clearly need to speak urgently to the charities involved about how and when the money will be used."

The authority said that on Friday afternoon they had tracked down a key to the boxes.