The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director (Adults and Communities) on whether the Council should commence statutory consultation on extending and varying the Public Spaces Protection Order (Southend Town Centre, Seafront and Adjoining Areas) No 1 of the 2019 PSPO.

Resolved:

1. That a consultation be undertaken into the possibility of the Council extending and varying (and/or making a new) Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) under Sections 59, 60 & 61 of the Anti-social Behaviour (ASB), Crime and Policing Act 2014 in respect of the area and activities detailed in the submitted report.

2. That the proposed consultation process commences as soon as practically possible.

3. That delegated authority be given to the Assistant Director for Legal Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment, Culture, Tourism & Planning to:

a) Finalise the draft PSPO to form part of the consultation;

b) Settle the final form of the consultation; and

c) explore and report back to Cabinet following the consultation any additional resource requirements to effectively enforce the PSPO.

Reasons for decision:

Whilst the 2019 PSPO has provided authorised council officers with an additional tool to tackle ASB, there has been a growing number of other complaints received in the last three years about the following:

• Cycling on the footway and e-scooters, particularly in the Town Centre area.
• ASB associated with the use of personal water crafts.
• ASB associated with use of BBQs on beaches.

Therefore the Council proposes to consult on all these activities and to bring the findings back to Cabinet in a report along with a summary of findings and evidence of the operation of the 2019 PSPO to then decide whether to extend and vary the 2019 PSPO or progress with any new PSPO.

Other options:

The Council could choose not to engage in the consultation process. This would result in the current PSPO expiring at midnight on the 10^th July 2022 and this enforcement power would no longer be available to Essex Police and the Council’s authorised officers for tackling ASB in the restricted area.

Note: This is an Executive Function

Called-in to: Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee

Cabinet Member: Cllr Terry