Wrexham City Public Spaces Protection Order 2023

Wrexham City Public Spaces Protection Order 2023

Why are we doing this?: 

Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) are intended to deal with nuisance or problems in an area that cause harm to the quality of life of the local community. The power to make a Public Spaces Protection Order was given to Councils by the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

An ‘order’ places restrictions and requirements on certain behaviour in an area. The order can last up to three years. The Council can – after further consultation – extend it for another three-year period.

It will be a criminal offence not to stick to the order, and you can either get a fixed penalty notice of £100 or be prosecuted, which could lead to a fine of up to £1,000.

Why is a PSPO put in place?

A PSPO can be introduced if the relevant behaviour is having, or is likely to have, a detrimental effect on the quality of life of people in the area. The behaviour has to be ongoing or happening regularly, be unreasonable, and its impact must be such that the restrictions and requirements should be put in place.

Background to consultation  

In October 2014 the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime  and Policing Act 2014 (the Act) introduced new powers relevant to tackling Anti-Social Behaviour. In January 2020 the Executive Board approved the implementation of a 3 year Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in Wrexham, identified by the area within the orange boundary on the map (from now on referred to as the relevant area).

The legislation states that the maximum time a PSPO can be implemented for is three years, before requiring a review. There are no restrictions on the number of times the PSPO can be reviewed and re-implemented.

The Public Space Protection Order to date, has supported the Council and its partners in our approach to address a number of specific concerns related to anti-social behaviour in the relevant area and to encourage vulnerable people to access support and services, seeking to break the cycle of behaviour and vulnerability they can be locked into.

By not addressing concerns effectively it is clear that there is risk to the quality of life of residents, a risk to the reputation of Wrexham, including loss of trade and attractiveness to new businesses, and subsequently a reduction in visitors/tourists to the area.  

What do we want to know?: 

The PSPO is one of the available tools and powers in the Act to address anti-social behaviour for the benefit of some vulnerable individuals and for residents, visitors and local businesses. Enforcement, alone, is not the answer to the issues, but it is a vital part of a holistic approach that we have adopted involving contributions from the Local Authority, North Wales Police, Health and charitable organisations. We are working collectively to remove any barriers that exist which prevent vulnerable people from positively engaging with services and to ensure people are offered positive routes out of their situation.  

What are we are consulting on ? 

Wrexham County Borough Council is carrying out a public consultation to determine the views of the general public and other interested bodies on whether the measures contained in the PSPO are still supported and should continue. The PSPO area, if implemented, is shown in the area within the orange boundary on the map . This will be referred to as the 'relevant' area. 

 

How your views will be used 

The outcome of the public consultation will be considered by the Executive Board in March 2023 and will be made available on the council website.

 

What we found out: 

We found that a high proportion of respondents agreed with the proposals that were consulted on. 

The results of the consultation were reported to the Executive board for members determination on the final PSPO, which was made as proposed but for the omission of one condition, around the carrying of paraphanalia, due to Public Health considerations.

What difference has it made?: 

The final report and decisions can be found via the following link.

 https://moderngov.wrexham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=129&MID=8671&LLL=0#AI15801

Consultation start date 23 January 2023
Consultation end date 20 February 2023

Contact

Full address Contact Email
Guildhall
Wrexham
LL11 1AR
Gerwyn Davies