A report setting out the case to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in Reading, recommending that the Council consult with the public on their views about the proposed PSPO and that an update be submitted to the Committee in November 2025.

The Committee considered a report setting out the case to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in Reading, the lessons learnt from the previous PSPO that had been introduced in 2018 and the statutory requirements of the process to implement a PSPO, including conducting a public consultation. Colin Hudson, Thames Valley Police, attended the meeting alongside officers to present the report.

The report explained that Reading’s last PSPO, which had been introduced in 2018, had lapsed in 2021 due to limited enforcement of the Order and inconsistent recording of its use and of incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) relating to the Order. Feedback from Partners had determined, some of the conditions were seen as being too broad and too subjective, for example, use of the term ‘aggressive begging’. As well as limited enforcement, the lack of a formal monitoring mechanism and means to record its use, had also meant that where the PSPO was being used, there was no data to evidence its use and to support considering renewing some of the conditions and as a result, the Order had come to an end.

The report further explained that ASB in the public realm continued to be an issue. Over the last 12 months, issues had repeatedly been raised around on-street begging, street drinking and the anti-social use of e-scooters and e-bikes and it had been suggested by Officers from Thames Valley Police that a PSPO could be an additional tool to support the efforts to deal with these issues. Alongside this, the Council’s Public Protection Service has also indicated that using a PSPO for dealing with Dog Control and Dog Fouling, as previously used in the last PSPO, would provide the Animal Warden with the means to take action against individuals when carrying out proactive work in the community.

The report proposed that there be one PSPO that would cover the whole Borough. It had been noted that when targeted action had been taken to address begging and street drinking in the town centre, there has been evidence that the issues had been displaced into other neighbourhoods, further impacting issues that already existed. The anti-social use of e-scooters and e-bikes were boroughwide issues, and dog control and dog fouling impacted parks and open spaces across the town. It wis proposed that this Order would be for the maximum period of three years, although this could be varied or extended, following public consultation, during the time the Order was in place.

The Committee discussed the proposal and expressed concern regarding the lack of clarity around the police powers in respect of legal and illegal e-bikes, and the circumstances in which they might be used. There was a corresponding lack of clarity around the definitions of anti-social behaviour around e-bikes and e-scooters.

Resolved:

(1)      That the proposal for a Public Spaces Protection Order in Reading be noted;

(2)      That a public consultation be undertaken on the proposal to implement a Public Spaces Protection Order in Reading;

(3)      That officers, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, the Lead Councillor for Environmental Services and Community Safety and Thames Valley Police, be authorised to amend the consultation documents to provide further clarity around definitions of and police powers regarding e-bikes and anti-social behaviour before the consultation began;

(4)      That following the consultation a report be brought back to the Housing Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee on 12November 2025, detailing consultation feedback with recommendations on implementing any new restrictions or amendments.