News-Support for plans to control anti-social behaviour in Durham City

Our Cabinet is being asked to agree a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for the city to tackle behaviours including begging, urinating in the street and the use of intoxicating substances.

Earlier this year, Cabinet agreed to a consultation being carried out to establish whether the public would support the measure.

More than 400 residents and businesses responded to the questionnaire, with 83 per cent of people either strongly supporting or supporting plans for a PSPO to be introduced to control begging, and almost 90 per cent backing a PSPO to control urinating and the use of intoxicating substances.

Making sure Durham remains a safe place for all

Cllr John Shuttleworth, our Cabinet member for community safety, said: "We are grateful to all those who took the time to respond to our questionnaire around the possible introduction of a PSPO.

"It's clear that the majority of people who responded support the proposed measures after witnessing begging, urinating and substance misuse in the city over the last two years. This has caused some concerns around personal and public safety and created a somewhat negative impression of Durham.

"Introducing a PSPO in addition to our wide range of support and education measures will help us to tackle these concerns and ensure that Durham remains a friendly, welcoming and safe place for all those who live and work in and visit the city."

Further support for the proposals

The consultation was held between 10 May and 23 June, with 419 questionnaire responses received by the council.

It also received written submissions from Durham BID, the Police and Crime Commissioner, Durham City Parish Council and officers from Durham Constabulary, all of which broadly supported the introduction of the PSPO.

Crime and anti-social behaviour statistics produced by Durham Constabulary further support the view that a PSPO would help to control the outlined activities.

Should Cabinet members agree to the measures when they meet next Wednesday (18 September), it is proposed that a fixed penalty fine of £100 would be issued to anyone breaching the order.