Latest news with #publicSpacesProtectionOrder
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Authority plans anti-social behaviour clampdown
A plan to clampdown on anti-social behaviour in a town, including aggressive begging and street drinking, could be rolled out if backed by councillors. Reading council wants to introduce a borough-wide public spaces protection order (PSPO), which the authority said will make it easier to stop nuisance and is supported by police. It said it knew of 116 reports of aggressive begging in the Berkshire town between June and December last year, with a "very small cohort" of people regularly targeting vulnerable people for money. The borough council said it has learned from using a PSPO between 2018 and 2021, which it said was "not as effective as had been hoped" because of a lack of enforcement. It said "problematic street drinking" is "prevalent" across the town and that the PSPO would help council staff and police enforce rules on street drinking which they are currently "unable to do". The order would also help the council stop and prevent dog fouling across Reading's 20 parks and other informal open spaces, the authority said. It said it would use it as an "additional tool" to stop anti-social behaviour and would be used first as a "preventative measure…to request that the behaviour is stopped before a breach occurs". The council hopes the anti-social use of e-scooters and e-bikes – which it said is the "most commonly complained about issue across the borough – could also be alleviated by the PSPO. Councillors will be asked for their opinions on the potential rollout at a meeting on Wednesday. If approved, a consultation on the measures could start on 21 July, with feedback with the police potentially completed by the end of October. A report could be referred back to councillors by mid-November. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook and X. Designs for town's new central library released New replacement driving test centre set to open Town centre offices to be converted into flats Jane Austen plaque installed at former school Reading Borough Council
BBC News
07-07-2025
- BBC News
Reading Borough Council plans anti-social behaviour clampdown
A plan to clampdown on anti-social behaviour in a town, including aggressive begging and street drinking, could be rolled out if backed by council wants to introduce a borough-wide public spaces protection order (PSPO), which the authority said will make it easier to stop nuisance and is supported by said it knew of 116 reports of aggressive begging in the Berkshire town between June and December last year, with a "very small cohort" of people regularly targeting vulnerable people for borough council said it has learned from using a PSPO between 2018 and 2021, which it said was "not as effective as had been hoped" because of a lack of enforcement. It said "problematic street drinking" is "prevalent" across the town and that the PSPO would help council staff and police enforce rules on street drinking which they are currently "unable to do".The order would also help the council stop and prevent dog fouling across Reading's 20 parks and other informal open spaces, the authority said it would use it as an "additional tool" to stop anti-social behaviour and would be used first as a "preventative measure…to request that the behaviour is stopped before a breach occurs".The council hopes the anti-social use of e-scooters and e-bikes – which it said is the "most commonly complained about issue across the borough – could also be alleviated by the will be asked for their opinions on the potential rollout at a meeting on approved, a consultation on the measures could start on 21 July, with feedback with the police potentially completed by the end of October. A report could be referred back to councillors by mid-November. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook and X.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Campaign groups seek protection from Leicester anti-social rules
Campaign groups have joined forces to write a letter to Leicester's city mayor seeking assurances they are exempt from a new anti-social behaviour city council put a new public spaces protection order (PSPO) in place from April to tackle issues including e-scooters, drinking, playing loud music and the groups, which include unions, political parties and other campaigners, fear the order could "constitute an unjustified limit on their democratic rights" as the ban also includes "unauthorised structures" such as banners, stalls and City Council said there were processes in place to allow freedom of speech, which remain unchanged under the new rules. The order, which is valid for three years, covers the city centre inside the ring road and includes Leicester railway station, all of New Walk and the area between London Road and Regent Road as far as Granville has given police and council officers greater powers to take enforcement action against anyone deemed to be causing a nuisance in the new rules also aim to clamp down on anyone who is either caught collecting for charity or who puts up a gazebo without prior permission from the city was introduced after more than 1,000 residents responded to a consultation, with nine of out 10 people supporting the action to address unlicensed amplification and of May, an individual breaching the order could be given a £100 on the spot fine, and the fixed penalty notice could rise to £1,000 if a prosecution results in a conviction. In the letter to Sir Peter Soulsby, the former city mayoral and socialist candidate, Steve Score, said on behalf of the organisations that many groups had regularly campaigned on Saturdays and at other times for decades and had "never been anti-social"."To prohibit these groups from peacefully, and without causing a public nuisance, carrying out their regular campaigning would constitute an unjustified limit on their democratic rights to free speech," he wrote."We are sure that you did not intend the PSPO to be used in this way, so we are seeking assurances that trade unions, campaign groups, political parties and others will be exempt from this PSPO."Last month, religious groups received warning notices for the way they promote their faith to told the BBC they were handed warnings for using loudspeakers and setting up street stalls and banners near the Clock of the groups said they felt they had been unfairly targeted as a public nuisance for exercising their right to religious free response, Sir Peter said the order did not ban religious groups from the city centre but aimed to deter them from "unnecessary and intensely irritating behaviour".In a statement the city council added: "The PSPO does not restrict freedom of speech but it does restrict the nuisance of amplifiers, gazebos and other structures that more than 1,100 respondents to our consultation told us negatively impacted their experience of Leicester city centre."Many groups have been respectful of this so far and, as a result, the environment in the city centre is noticeably improved."There are clear processes already in place to ensure that the right to protest can be freely exercised, which remain unchanged under the new arrangements."
