Declan’s Big Issue pitch taken over by two free papers

Just when we thought the saga of the chipping away by the London Lite and The London Paper at Declan’s pitch on Liverpool Street – where he sells The Big Issue on weekdays – could get no worse, it has plumbed new depths of farce.

Not content with encroaching on the pitch (see previous blog), both free papers last night took over the pitch: the London Lite girl regularly passing papers in front of Declan and The London Paper guy almost by his side, blocking him out.

So because we are trying to avoid begging in the street (it’s illegal and can land you in a police station), Declan sent another email yesterday evening to the Big Issue outreach manager Paul Joseph, which he has also sent by registered post this morning to the founder of the magazine, Dr John Bird. It reads:

Subject: London Lite and The London Paper

Dear Paul

I refer to the telephone message I left for you this evening, wherein I graphically describe the unprecedented takeover of my McDonalds pitch on Liverpool Street (pitch no. 1408) by the above two free papers.

Having had to walk off the pitch to abide by the rule that a vendor shall not "argue or fight over pitches with … street traders", please advise how you can help me to maximise sales on this pitch, which I have had protected by pitch authorisation slip and pitch listings since the beginning of December 2006.

Yours sincerely
Declan Heavey
Badge no. 1163

cc Dr John Bird, Editor-In-Chief, The Big Issue (by registered post)

As a final note, there must be some malfunction with my Idea Store Whitechapel library card because this afternoon I was unable to log on a computer due to there being a problem with my password or membership number. (A few days back, while working on a computer in the same library, I was logged out and when the screen appeared again my allocated hour had been given to somebody else.) Declan has emailed the manager of the library because we wouldn’t want this malfunction to happen again, especially since we frequently have to wait for over an hour for a computer.