The Independent reports on claims by Home Officer Minister, Lord Ahmad that Councils across the country are abusing powers aimed at preventing anti-social behaviours, using them against people ranging from dog walkers to buskers.
The paper says that Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) can be used to ban anything deemed to be a persistent nuisance, with penalties including court fines of up to £1,000, but there is mounting concern over the way the orders, which apply to England and Wales, are being used:
But there is mounting concern over the way the orders, which apply to England and Wales, are being used.
In the latest of a series of controversies, it emerged last week that under a PSPO by Havering Council, London, parents could be fined if deemed to be parking dangerously while dropping off their children at school.
“Local authorities are throwing these things around like confetti,” Liberal Democrat peer Lord Clement-Jones told The Independent.
He has written a letter to Lord Ahmad, which is signed by seven organisations including Liberty, the Kennel Club, and the Musician’s Union.
The Government’s guidance says that the orders should not be used to ban reasonable activities.
“But the consensus of those monitoring PSPO enforcement, and many of those at the sharp end, is that the statutory guidance is not sufficiently clear and is not preventing the inappropriate use of these powers to restrict reasonable activities,” the letter says.
And PSPOs are being used “without any prior evidence of significant harm,” it states.
I am not aware of any abuses in Wales but am open to correspondence from those who do. I agree with Lord Clement-Jones that guidance needs to be clearer and abuses by local councils stamped down on.
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