Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Health introduced the report and stated that the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) had to be renewed every three years and was made of two provisions, begging and street drinking. It was emphasised that the council’s approach is to  support those who were most vulnerable in society that is captured in the Council’s Enforcement Policy and other Strategies. Assisting street homeless was part of this policy framework in conjunction with the Homeless Support Service. In the main, the PSPO acted as a deterrent for professional beggars who were not actually homeless. For street drinking the PSPO acted as a collaborative tool between Maidstone Police and Maidstone Ambassadors and was used in a wider policy to reduce anti-social behaviour in the town centre.

The Committee expressed concern that supportive measures for vulnerable residents were not explicit in the PSPO and that the Council had received correspondence from Liberty Human Rights which raised concerns over the potential misuse of PSPOs. The committee considered whether additional legal advice was required before the decision should be taken by the Cabinet Member.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Health stated that the Homeless Support team at the Council provided support for vulnerable residents and was working as intended. The Head of Housing and Regulatory Services stated the PSPO was a prescribed legal document and that it was part of a wider approach, including engagement and the community safety partnership plan. Help was provided to those in need before any punitive action was considered. It was clarified that legal advice had been obtained from Mid Kent Legal Services in preparation for the renewal of the PSPO, when the PSPO was drafted in 2020 and the Service had reviewed recent case law in regard to PSPOs. The likelihood of a successful legal challenge to the PSPO was considered to be remote.

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member for Housing and Health be recommended to authorise the Head of Housing and Regulatory Services to renew the existing Town Centre Public Space Protection Order for a further 3 years.