City Centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO)

City of Doncaster Council and South Yorkshire Police are seeking to renew the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in Doncaster city centre. The order started on 7 November 2023 and lasts for three years.

City Centre PSPO

The aim of the PSPO is to provide help and support to vulnerable members of the community and to tackle anti-social behaviour to improve the vibrancy of Doncaster city centre. This will complement the wider plans to manage and regenerate the city centre and continue its improvement journey, making it an attractive and welcoming place for all.

The PSPO sees the council, Police and other partners including St Leger Homes, RdASH, Aspire drug and alcohol services and Riverside work together to address issues of concern.

The organisations work together as the Complex Lives Alliance to provide help and support to people who experience a combination of related issues such as homelessness, rough sleeping, addiction and poor mental and physical health.

This support can include financial assistance, housing support and help people to access accommodation where needed, and to help them break the cycle of homelessness, rough sleeping or begging and to address addictions and mental health issues so they recover and stabilise their lives.

The work of the Complex Lives Alliance has already engaged with and supported lots of people into accommodation and treatment and support services.

With a PSPO in place, members of the community will see visible resources within the city centre as police officers and city centre support staff conduct patrols, engage with the community, provide support and help to those who are homeless or rough sleeping and deter anti-social behaviour.

The current order helps tackle anti-social behaviour which causes harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance. It will relate to the following:

Begging
Loitering
No return within 24 hours if asked to leave
Drinking alcohol in public areas
Taking drugs or other banned substances
Urination and defecation in public
Tampering with parking equipment

What is a PSPO?

When there are problems or nuisance in an area detrimentally affecting the local community's quality of life, we may put rules in place to deal with it. These rules or 'orders' are designed to make sure we can all use and enjoy public spaces, safe from anti-social behaviour.

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 and vary it for another three-year period.

It will be a criminal offence not to stick to the order, and anyone breaching the PSPO can either get a fixed penalty notice of £100 or be prosecuted, which could lead to a fine of up to £1,000. Those who are vulnerable will be offered support.

Why is a PSPO put in place?

A PSPO can be introduced if anti-social behaviour, which is, or is likely to be carried on is having a detrimental effect on the quality of life of people in the area.

The behaviour has to be, or is likely to be persistent or of a continuing nature and unreasonable. The impact of the behaviour must justify the restrictions contained within a PSPO.

Following this consultation the Council will carefully consider the results before making the final decision. The Council will publicise the final decision it makes, and if an order is put in place there will be signs put up in the relevant areas.

Why we reviewed the PSPO?

In 2017 the Council introduced a PSPO that allowed the Council to deal with measures to reduce anti-social behaviour in the city centre. We know that anti-social behaviour can detrimentally affect people’s quality of life.

A renewed and varied city centre PSPO will continue to address this kind of anti-social behaviour allowing the Council to:

Ensure that everyone is able to enjoy public spaces in our city centre, which are safe and welcoming. Nobody should have to put up with behaviour, which has a negative impact on them or their environment.
Give the police and Council an extra tool to help tackle anti-social behaviour alongside existing powers and ongoing partnership work. Alongside the PSPO, the Council and its partners would continue to promote and encourage vulnerable people to access support and services in order to help them break the cycle of behaviours and vulnerability.

View now the reports and the consultation results linked to the review.

The current prohibitions

2023 PUBLIC SPACES PROTECTION ORDER (for up to three years)
	PROHIBITION	WHEN	PURPOSE
1.	Begging. No person shall make any verbal, non-verbal or written request for money, donations or goods, including the placing of hats, clothing or containers so as to cause or is likely to cause harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance.	At all times (not including restriction on people who busk)	The aim is to support vulnerable people to break the cycle of begging and to reduce the impact this has on the city centre offer. People who make requests for money or donations in the city Centre are less likely to access support services whilst they receive income from this to sustain their current lifestyles. This also impacts on the vibrancy and attractiveness of the environment of the city centre to visitors and shoppers and businesses. Enforcement action will primarily focus on helping people to change behaviour and access support services.
2.	Loitering. No person shall loiter, sit or lay on the floor or on temporary structures in or adjacent to doorways or around pay machines (including banks, supermarkets) in a manner causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance to any person within the city Centre.	At all times	No person shall loiter, sit or lay on the floor or on temporary structures in or adjacent to doorways or around pay machines (including banks, supermarkets, car parking payment machines) in a manner causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance to any person within the city centre.
3.	No return within 24 hours if asked to leave. No person shall, after being requested to leave by an authorised officer due to them behaving in a manner causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance to any person within the city Centre without reasonable excuse, remain or return to the city Centre within a period of 24 hours.	At all times. In respect of those individuals who are rough sleeping this prohibition will only apply if they have access to alternative accommodation or have refused support.	The aim is to deter people from behaving in an anti-social manner which has a detrimental effect on people’s feelings of safety and on the vibrancy of the city Centre. Enforcement action will primarily focus on helping people to change behaviour and access support services.
4.	Drinking alcohol in public areas. No person shall consume alcohol in any public place in the city Centre other than at licensed premises or shall be in possession of any opened vessel containing or purporting to contain alcohol in any public place save for those places identified by Section 62 of the Act.	At all times (Street markets /events/festivals will have obtained Temporary Event Notices, so will in effect be licensed premises for the time they are there)	The aim is to deter people from consuming alcohol on the streets other than at licensed premises and to prevent antisocial behaviour and impacts on the city centre related to this. Enforcement action will primarily focus on helping people to change behaviour and access support services.
5.	Taking drugs or other banned substances. No person will ingest, inhale, inject, smoke or otherwise use intoxicating substances (substances with the capacity to stimulate or depress the central nervous system) or possess any item that can be used to assist in the taking of intoxicating substances. This includes any device for smoking substances other than e-cigarettes, it also includes needles, except for those packaged and sealed by the manufacturer and stored in a hard case.	At all times	The aim is to deter people from consuming drugs/intoxicating substances and to prevent antisocial behaviour and impacts on the city centre related to this. Enforcement action will primarily focus on helping people to change behaviour and access support services.
6.	Urination and defecation in public. No person shall urinate or defecate in any public place; this does not include public toilets.	At all times	The aim is to deter people from behaving in an anti-social way which can cause public and environmental health problems, as well as difficulties for city centre businesses/traders.
7.	Tampering with parking equipment. No person shall, unless they have a parked vehicle in the location, without reasonable excuse, loiter near to, touch or interfere with any parking equipment, in the city Centre without authorisation.	At all times	The aim is to ensure effective provision of car parking in the city Centre, which is vital to the economy and most important to vulnerable and disabled visitors. Vandalism and blockages of parking machines causes great frustration and expense to car park users and deters from the experience of using the city Centre.
Additional notes and definitions for the purpose of the Order i) Licensed premises – Will include those involved in continental markets / beer festivals will have obtained Temporary Event Notices, so will in effect be licensed premises for the time they are there. ii) Intoxicating substances – Substances with the capacity to stimulate or depress the central nervous system Exemptions shall apply in cases where the substances are used for a valid and demonstrable medicinal use, given to an animal as a medicinal remedy, are cigarettes (tobacco) or vaporisers or are food stuffs regulated by food health and safety legislation.