OXFORD City Council has delayed a decision at the 11th hour over a plan which would “criminalise homelessness” following an intervention by human rights group Liberty.

The council was scheduled to make a decision as to whether or not to introduce a city centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) at a meeting of its executive board on Thursday night. If given the green light, the order will ban sleeping in public toilets and “persistent begging” — defined by the authority as begging “on more than one occasion.”

The PSPO would give council officers the power to issue on-the-spot penalties of up to £100. If those in breach are unable to pay, they would face prosecution and a fine of £1,000. Liberty contacted the authority on Thursday arguing that the introduction of a PSPO would be a breach of equality and human rights law.