Issue - meetings

1.  That a PSPO be enacted in the town centre area defined by Appendix IV to the report of the Head of Housing and Community Services, including prohibitions for Drinking in a public place and Begging as set out in Section 5.4 of the report.

2.  That authority be delegated to the Head of Housing and Community Services, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Communities, Housing and Environment Committee, to make any minor amendments or corrections to the Order before it is enacted.

The Community Partnerships and Resilience Manager introduced the report which provided results of the public consultation on Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs), and recommended the implementation of an Order with prohibitions against drinking in a public space and begging.

The consultation was open for eight weeks, and it was summarised that:

·  86.4% of respondents felt safe in the town centre during the day and evening.

·  61.6% of respondents were in favour of the implementation of a PSPO to tackle drinking in a public place.

·  There was little support among respondents for a PSPO to address rough sleeping.

The original proposal to committee in November 2015 had included rough sleeping and use of legal highs within the PSPO. The revised proposal omitted these for the following reasons:

·  A small percentage of those who were classed as homeless were street sleeping. Of those, approximately ten people were believed to be street sleeping and involved in anti-social behaviour.

·  Legislation against legal highs had been introduced nationally. In Maidstone the number of premises selling legal highs had significantly reduced.

The committee was advised that a PSPO prohibiting public drinking would feature two directions in the order. The first direction would allow an officer to request a person to surrender their alcohol if it was believed that there was a risk of anti-social behaviour. The second direction would require a person who had surrendered alcohol not to drink at that place for a period of 24 hours.

It was explained that there was already legislation in place to address begging, and so the proposed PSPO would specifically tackle the use of objects or animals when begging. Enforcement would be implemented through fixed penalty charges, civil injunctions or criminal behaviour orders.

During discussion it was confirmed that:

A number of PSPOs have been implemented nationally. Where these have been used to prohibit rough sleeping, this has acted to displace street homeless to other areas outside the PSPO jurisdiction.

With regard to a prohibition against the use of an object or animal for begging, the parameters of a breach would be accounted for in the drafting of the Order.

A PSPO was enacted over a three year duration. The effectiveness of the Order would be monitored during that time. At the end of that term Members could decide to continue with or change the Order. Firm evidence would be required to extend the PSPO area to a wider area.

The Order would primarily be enforced by the Police and Council Officers with delegated responsibilities.

A Member put forward that, as MBC was already involved in a successful publicity campaign which addressed the problems that can arise from donating to those who are begging, there was less reason to include begging within a PSPO. The money that would be spent on the PSPO could instead be diverted towards further financing the campaign.

It was moved that begging be removed from the PSPO. This was not seconded.

It was moved, seconded and:

RESOLVED:

1.  That a PSPO be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58