Leicester’s City Mayor Peter Soulsby is asking if a proposed PSPO ought to cover all the area within the inner ring road.
Covered would be loitering, begging, street drinking, amplification systems, charity or commercial subscription collections, and antisocial use of bicycles, e-bikes and scooters. Consultation is running to February 17. Mr Soulsby said: “Whether it’s amplification equipment being used without permission, or cyclists riding too fast on pedestrianised streets, these nuisances have a significant impact on people’s enjoyment of the city centre.
“We know that other cities are experiencing similar problems, but it’s unacceptable that the behaviour of a few individuals should spoil the city centre for the rest of us.
“That’s why I’m now proposing to cover the city centre with a Public Spaces Protection Order and invest more resources into addressing these persistent nuisances. And if these measures lead to improvements in the city centre, we’ll look at introducing further PSPOs that would cover other parts of the city too.”
PSPO background
Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) were introduced under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. This power gives the local authority the ability to impose conditions on the use of a particular geographical area to tackle anti-social behaviour; typically, dog fouling, or anti-social drinking in public or urinating. A PSPO may result in a fine (a fixed Penalty Notice, FPN for short) being issued by police or a council officer. If the fine is not paid, the offence may be reported to the magistrate’s court, and a person can be fined up to £1,000.
Meanwhile St Helens Borough Council has gone out to consultation on a PSPO running to March 10, for St Helens town centre after reports relating to a small number of people in St Helens town centre. In October the council did a public survey to gather views, including the potential for a PSPO. Most, 86 per cent of 168 survey respondents said they were concerned or very concerned about alcohol-related ASB in the town centre, and near all were in favour of greater enforcement (94 per cent).
Cabinet Member for Supporting Neighbourhoods, Councillor Trisha Long, said: “The impact of alcohol-related anti-social behaviour as a result of street drinking in our town centre is unacceptable and, with the feedback from our initial survey, plain to see. When used appropriately and with local support, a Public Space Protection Order can be a useful tool to help prevent anti-social behaviour and deal effectively with the issues local residents and businesses are facing in the town centre.”
Visit www.sthelens.gov.uk/PSPO.
A further round-up of PSPOs on this link: https://professionalsecurity.co.uk/news/case-studies/pspo-round-up-4/.
Photo by Mark Rowe; street art, Leicester city centre covered car park.
