Whether or not a city centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) will be introduced by Sheffield City Council will soon be decided at the Council’s Communities, Parks, and Leisure Committee.
The results of the public consultation on introducing a PSPO, which took place from 9th February to 25th March this year, will be presented to the committee on 9th December, along with a recommendation to approve the introduction of the proposed Public Spaces Protection Order regarding alcohol, begging, loitering, drug use, urination and/or defacation in the city centre.
The committee will also be asked to approve the proposed Public Spaces Protection Order.
A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) provides additional powers for enforcement agencies to deal with a particular nuisance or problem in a specific area that is detrimental to the local community’s quality of life, by imposing conditions on the use of that area which apply to everyone. They are intended to help ensure that people can use and enjoy public spaces, safe from anti-social behaviour.
A committee report in January this year outlined evidence which suggested that a PSPO is needed to address anti-social behaviour in parts of the city centre and councillors agreed to consult on the draft PSPO.
Members of the public were asked for their views on the draft PSPO and the draft boundaries for which areas a PSPO would cover.
1,205 individuals and 77 organisations responded to the consultation and just over two thirds of individual respondents thought Sheffield City Council should introduce a PSPO in the city centre, with 87% of organisations saying that they agreed with the introduction of a PSPO.
Councillor Kurtis Crossland, Chair of Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “People told us about what they liked and don’t like about introducing a PSPO and made suggestions about what the Council should do to make sure we get this right for Sheffield. We’ve listened and taken feedback and now the committee will be asked to decide on what will happen next based on the results of the consultation.”
For more background on this project, the committee report is here: Agenda for Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee on Monday 9 December 2024, 2.00 pm | Sheffield City Council
The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides police and local authorities with several enforcement tools and powers to address anti-social behaviour and these powers are used, where appropriate, but are limited to tackling the behaviour of identified individuals, businesses, or organisations. A PSPO is largely aimed at tackling behaviours from a group or an individual and must meet the following legal ‘test’ for intervention from enforcement agencies within a PSPO area:
The restrictions for a PSPO can either apply to everyone at all times, or target specific behaviours at certain times. Wherever a PSPO is in place, special care must be made to ensure a PSPO doesn’t disproportionately affect vulnerable members of the community, and they should not be used to target a specific group or individual.
