Decision details

10.1

Tackling anti-social behaviour in the city centre is key to delivering the priority for high quality neighbourhoods which are clean, green, resilient and safe, and where people can live healthy lives and be happy with where they live, work and play.

Evidence demonstrates that, within the city centre, there is behaviour that is having a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality, is persistent and continuing in nature and is unreasonable.

A decision by the Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee was taken in January 2024 to consult on making a Public Spaces Protection Order covering the city centre.

Following that consultation work, this report recommends that the making of a Public Spaces Protection Order is approved to give officers additional powers to tackle anti-social behaviour in the city centre

10.2

RESOLVED: That the Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee:-

1.     having taken into account the outcome of the consultation, approves the making of a Public Spaces Protection Order on the terms attached at Appendix A for a period of 3 years. This Order shall be known as the ‘Sheffield City Council City Centre Public Spaces Protection Order 2024’;

2.     initiates a review of the implementation of the Public Spaces Protection Order to be presented to the Committee 6 months after the implementation of the PSPO on the 1^st April 2025. This review will seek the views and experience of organisations representing city centre businesses, voluntary and faith sector organisations, South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield City Council regarding the Public Spaces Protection Order, its impacts, successes and consequences.

This will be presented alongside verbal evidence from the above groups at the Committee meeting;

3.     agrees that the planned target date of implementation of the Sheffield City Council City Centre Public Spaces Protection Order 2024 shall be in April 2025;

4.     grants delegated authority to the Director of Customer Experience and Communities in consultation with the Chair of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee to agree the exact date when the Sheffield City Council City Centre Public Spaces Protection Order 2024 shall take effect;

5.     grants delegated authority to the Director of Customer Experience and Communities to undertake all necessary further steps and actions required in order to formally implement the making of the Sheffield City Council City Centre Public Spaces Protection Order 2024; and

6.     initiates work into an overarching, cross committee strategy to reduce through positive behaviour change and provision, rather than displacement, the key types of ASB that the Public Spaces Protection Order aims to target.

10.3

Reasons for Decision

10.3.1

Everyone wants a safe and inviting city centre and Sheffield, like all major towns and cities, is working to make sure that its city centre is the very best that it can be so that local residents and visitors always have positive experiences when they visit.

Public Spaces Protection Orders provide 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 the people can use and enjoy public spaces, safe from anti-social behaviour.

The evidence and feedback from the consultation and partners, satisfy, on reasonable grounds that the activities identified in the proposed PSPO are having or are likely to have had a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality and are or are likely to be of a persistent or continuing nature justifies the restrictions imposed by the proposed Order.

The Council is satisfied that the prohibitions imposed by the proposed Order are reasonable in order to reduce the detrimental effect of these activities.

10.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

10.4.1

Alternative Option 1:

To approve the making of a PSPO without the additional requirements to give personal details and leave the area when asked to do so.

This is not the preferred option as the requirement to leave provides an additional layer of intervention that will help to avoid more formal intervention such as issuing an FPN. Without this, the level of intervention could end up higher than is necessary in a given situation.

Alternative Option 2:

To approve the making of a PSPO with the draft wording that was proposed in the January CPL committee report.

This option was rejected based on the feedback received during the consultation period. The original wording of the alcohol restriction could be applied too broadly and might restrict responsible alcohol consumption particularly in green spaces in the City Centre. Equally, the terms ‘nuisance’ and ‘annoyance’ in the begging and loitering restrictions could be more subjective and ambiguous. The removal of these terms creates a higher threshold for breaching the PSPO.

Alternative Option 3:

To consider the outcome of the consultation and to decide not to proceed.

This option is reserved to the Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee under Part 3.3.1 of the Constitution and is the ‘do nothing’ option in relation to a PSPO. This option has been rejected based on the evidence presented in this report.

The consultation has demonstrated that people are experiencing harassment, alarm or distress from the behaviours that would be restricted with the PSPO. It has also demonstrated that the majority of individuals and organisations support the restrictions that would come from the PSPO. The PSPO is another tool that can be used to tackle ASB in the city centre and, combined with the Enforcement and Support Protocol will allow earlier intervention to provide support to vulnerable individuals.