Nuisance behaviour order approved for city centre

Sheffield City Council is seeking to crack down on issues including street drinking

New rules cracking down on street drinking, begging and drug use in Sheffield city centre have been approved.

The introduction of a public spaces protection order (PSPO) to tackle anti-social behaviour has been backed by councillors.

Anyone flouting the rules could receive a £100 on-the-spot fine, rising to £1,000 if the matter goes to court.

Kurtis Crossland, chair of the council's communities, parks and leisure policy committee, said enforcement would include a "holistic assessment" of people's circumstances to ensure support was available for those who were vulnerable.

At a committee meeting ahead of the vote, members were told more than 1,200 individuals and 77 organisations took part in a public consultation before a decision was made on the issue.

The "vast majority" of respondents said they had witnessed or experienced anti-social behaviour in the last 12 months, councillors heard.

• How would Sheffield's nuisance behaviour order work?

But a member of staff from Sheffield charity Ben's Centre, which supports people with drug or alcohol problems, told the meeting that many of the centre's users were "victims and perpetrators of anti-social behaviour in the city centre".

"It seems clear that the proposed PSPO is designed to target this cohort," he said.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said there was "a small and identifiable" number of Sheffield residents who used alcohol in public spaces, begged on the high street and slept rough without access to toilet facilities.

The charity worker said: "Within this group, it's not an exaggeration to say the vast majority have a mental and/or physical disability."

He asked members why there was not an impact report based on disability, and whether the thoughts of people and organisations working in that field were sought.

Crossland said the PSPO would allow officers to intervene earlier to "tackle specific activities that cause or are likely to cause anti-social behaviour".

This would allow officers to focus on prevention, advice and guidance, he added, insisting that the PSPO would apply "to everyone equally - and it's about behaviour, not about the person".

Crossland said that to breach the PSPO, two legal thresholds must be met and a written notice would be issued before any further escalation.

At the end of the meeting, members approved the proposal of introducing a PSPO in Sheffield city centre, with only one member of the committee voting against it.

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