Harrow Council recently carried out a consultation on a new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). The new PSPO has now been approved by Cabinet. All documents can be found here.
Enforcement of the new elements of the PSPO is planned from 01/02/2024. You should not be fined for any of the new PSPO offences before that time.
What is a PSPO?
“Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) are intended to deal with anti-social behaviour and nuisance or other concerns which are considered detrimental to the local community’s quality of life. PSPOs operate by imposing conditions on the use of an area which apply to everyone.” (Harrow Council)
Breach of the PSPO is a criminal offence and if witnessed will result in either:
- A Fixed Penalty Notice (£100) payable within 14 days
- A fine or prosecution (up to £1,000)
Our concerns
We campaigned against many aspects of the PSPO because it:
►Is overly controlling and authoritarian
►Lacks detail, leaving it open to interpretation
►May target certain groups/communities
Our response
Read our full response at the time, here.
Campaign outcomes
As a result of our calls to remove, change and clarify numerous aspects of the new PSPO during the consultation phase and beyond, the council:
- removed their proposal to prohibit occupying any vehicle or caravan
- confirmed that permission is not required to leaflet for charitable, political or religious causes
- confirmed that riding bicycles on pavements is only restricted if riding in a manner that causes a nuisance
- confirmed under 18’s will not receive Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN). (They are however reviewing their policy on FPNs for under 18s).
- have allowed feeding of birds in Pinner Memorial Park from a designated area
The requirement to provide a name and address to an authorised officer was removed from the wording of the PSPO, as it is already covered in law, specifically Section 26 of the London Local Authority Act 2004. The London Local Authority Act states it is an offence to fail to provide a name and address when requested by an authorised officer.
Implementation
We will be keeping an eye on its implementation throughout the borough. If you receive a fine that you do not think is warranted please contact us on [email protected] or Harrow Law Centre [email protected]
Disputing a fine
If you have received a fine issued under the PSPO that you do not think is warranted, you can appeal by putting your case forward via email to: [email protected]
If you are unsuccessful with your appeal and remain unhappy with the outcome, you can utilise the London Borough of Harrow Corporate complaints procedure.