OXFORD City Council will review how orders threatening £2,500 fines are served after thousands urged it to stop issuing them to homeless people.

Nearly 5,000 people signed an online petition over the summer after it emerged council officers had issued community protection notices (CPNs) to homeless people who had left their belongings in shop doorways.

The council was accused of sinking to a ‘new low’ and ‘intimidating the homeless’ by the Green Party in July.

But the council insists it served the orders because bags were blocking fire exits in Cornmarket and that ‘no one has received or ever will receive a CPN for being homeless’.

As part of a review which will be settled by the council’s city executive board, councillors recommended no notice should be issued without being signed off by two members of staff including the local authority’s chief executive, deputy chief executive or a director.

All 43 councillors present at Monday’s Oxford City Council meeting backed the review.

Green Party leader Councillor David Thomas said it was important to get these 'checks and balances' over the issuing of CPNs approved by the time the review is complete at the start of 2018.

He said: “It will be good to have them actually written down. We are pleased we managed to get concessions out of the Labour group.”

Labour’s executive board member for community safety, Councillor Tom Hayes, said: “This is not a faceless bureaucracy hiding around wanting to steal bags. It’s a council that cares about people.”

He added: “Action is never taken by our officers unless it is absolutely necessary.”

The Liberal Democrats’ leader Councillor Andrew Gant said he was pleased the use of CPNs will be reviewed.

He said: “We want the council’s officers to have the tools that they need to keep the city centre safe. If there are genuine issues with community safety and fire safety they need the tools to use them.

“But at the same time people living on our streets need to have dignity and respect and feel like they have those things. Perception is important too.”

The council said the issuing of a CPN is always ‘considered, appropriate, proportionate and humane’ and that they would only be handed out as a last resort.

When the council issued the CPNs, it gave the owners two days to remove their bags from Cornmarket. It said after two days, council officers had returned to find everything had been moved other than a soiled duvet and some cardboard.

Those items were removed by the council.

The council said there are lockers available for homeless people who want to store their belongings.