Agenda item

To receive a report providing a review of the Fitzwilliam Road and Town Centre Public Space Protection Orders.

Consideration was given to a report which provided an overview of the Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) within the Rotherham Borough and reviewed enforcement activity. Whilst the report provided a basic level of information, it was noted that a more detailed analysis of the Town Centre PSPO would take place in the summer of 2020, to comply with statutory requirements. The report set out the method by which such a review would be conducted. Furthermore, the report also provided a brief overview of enforcement against the new PSPO within the Fitzwilliam Road area, which was introduced at the end of 2019.

Members sought to understand if the data suggested an identified cause of the infractions, and would the occurrence of offenses perhaps be lower if more public toilets were provided in the Town Centre. The Cabinet member responded that the Town Centre public toilets are and have been operational. Officers elaborated that without regard to the provision of toilets, the behaviours are unacceptable and have to be discouraged.

Members also asked for further explanation around the discrepancy between the number of tickets issued in the first four months. There is a higher enforcement presence to match the higher level of The PSPO is not the only means of enforcement in that area because of its residential and selective licensing Members wished to know the rationale for selecting the Fitzwilliam Road area for a PSPO.

Clarification was sought around the interactions between the PSPO and selective licensing. The response emphasised that PSPO covered infractions that happen outside of building spaces, while selective licensing covered activities inside properties. By having both, even if an event happened on the street just outside, that is where the PSPO would take effect to give the Council some power to address the behaviour.

The data had shown that in regard to individuals who perpetrated persistent breeches, officers were able to identify individuals who were causing problems repeatedly. That had allowed enforcement to make those individuals the focus of stronger attention in order to control the problems.

A point of clarification was sought around which authority issued the numbers of tickets. Officers offered to refresh the data with numbers for each issuer.

Members requested further detail about the relative prevalence of the offences that represented a small percentage of the total figure. In response, officers clarified why percentages were employed to visualise the data, emphasising that in the case of urinating in public, eight offences was still considered to be too many and the number of tickets issued represented a small number of the total number of offences. Some of the offences were covered by a number of enforcement efforts in addition to PSPOs and FPNs.

Members requested assurance that the enforcement of the PSPOs would not penalise citizens who may have an illness or a disability that created extenuating circumstances. In response, officers provided assurance that these protection orders were designed not to penalise citizens with disabilities or illness that was responsible for an apparent infraction.

Finally, Members offered thanks for the enforcement efforts in the Fitzwilliam Road area because, anecdotally, those efforts were working for the residents in the relevant ward.

Resolved:-

1.    That the report be noted.

2.    That the results of the upcoming analysis in summer 2020 be submitted to Improving Places Select Commission for scrutiny with the goal of making recommendations about a possible further order in the Town Centre.