North Tyneside Council wants to continue its tough approach to antisocial drinking and irresponsible dog ownership by reintroducing Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) across the borough.
The council’s Cabinet will meet on September 21 to consider renewing the orders and to review the feedback from a six-week public consultation.
A PSPO gives council officers the power to confiscate alcohol if it is being consumed irresponsibly or having a detrimental impact on the community.
Anyone committing an offence could be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100 and a court fine of up to £1,000 for failure to pay.
It is also an offence for dogs to enter certain designated places such as play areas and beaches during the summer months. Dogs must be also be kept on a lead in other identified spaces within local parks and cemeteries.
The council had the PSPOs in place since October 2017, however, the orders cannot last for more than three years and those currently in place are set to expire next month.
A report to cabinet says there were 180 responses to an online questionnaire, as well as a further 251 comments, and that there was ‘huge support’ overall for the orders to be extended.
95% of respondents said they support the continuation of the PSPO that controls dog fouling and the issuing of fines for failure to pick up dog mess, while 92% support the exclusion of dogs from designated play sites.
In relation to alcohol consumption in public spaces, 87% support the renewal of an order that is designed to tackle antisocial street drinking.
Councillor Carl Johnson, cabinet member for the environment and transport, said: "I would like to thank everyone who took the opportunity to respond to our questionnaire. The exercise has been a real success and has revealed huge support for the orders to continue. As a listening council, we will take on board all comments about dog and alcohol controls in the borough.
“The renewal of PSPOs allows us to continue to act on local concerns and to take robust action to protect our local environment and address the issues that are detrimental to people’s quality of life in our communities.”
Councillor Carole Burdis, cabinet member for community safety and engagement, added: “As a listening council we always take onboard what our residents have to say, so that we can make the right decisions and target our resources in the most effective way. It’s encouraging to hear that people have faith in these orders and would like to see them continue, to help ensure that North Tyneside remains a safe place to live, work and visit.”
