The Executive Decision meeting of Waltham Forest Council was scheduled to consider the extension of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in the borough. The report pack included a recommendation to extend the PSPO for a further three years, and considered the results of a public consultation on the topic. Councillor Khevyn Limbajee, Portfolio Lead Member for Community Safety, was scheduled to make the decision.

Here's what was scheduled to be discussed:

Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) Extension

The report pack included a report on the proposed renewal of the borough-wide Public Space Protection Order (PSPO). The existing PSPO was introduced to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) such as street drinking, aggressive begging, and threatening language. It was due to expire on 4 September 2025.

The report noted that the PSPO gives Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers, Council Officers, and persons delegated by the Council extra powers to enforce restricted activities by use of £100 fixed penalty notice and/ or prosecution. Officers can issue an instant fixed penalty notice (FPN) for breaching conditions of the PSPO and, in severe cases, can seek a Civil Injunction.

The report stated that between April 2022 and March 2025, there had been 320 enforcement actions under the PSPO. It also noted that informal interventions to secure compliance happen on a frequent basis.

The report considered the following options:

• No action: This option would prevent relevant staff from utilising key tools & powers to tackle ASB in public spaces and is not recommended.
• Increased visible presence: While beneficial, this approach is not sustainable due to lack of Council and Police resource.
• Implementation of PSPO (Recommended): This option provides a targeted, legally enforceable mechanism to address ASB.

The report stated that there is strong public support for the extension of the PSPO, with 96.4% of respondents either agreeing or strongly agreeing with the proposal.

The report pack included a draft of the PSPO order, which prohibits the following:

I. No person shall refuse to stop drinking alcohol (unless they are in a licensed premise or at a venue where a temporary event notice is in place) or hand over any containers (sealed or unsealed) which are believed to contain alcohol, when required, to do so by an authorised officer in order to prevent public nuisance or disorder.

II. No person shall beg in a manner reasonably perceived to be intimidating or aggressive.

III. No person shall be verbally abusive to any person or behave in a way which causes or is likely to cause harassment alarm or distress to another person.

IV. No person shall urinate, defecate or spit in a public place. This includes the doorway or alcove of any premises to which the public has access.

V. No persons shall gather in groups of 2 or more whilst engaging in nuisance or criminal behaviour. This will not apply to persons going to or from a parked vehicle or waiting for a scheduled bus at a designated bus stop unless they are engaging in nuisance or criminal behaviour.

VI. No person shall cause a motor vehicle of any description to stop on zig zag markings outside a school premises during prescribed hours as indicated by the appropriate signage.

VII. No moped/motorbike driver shall gather in groups of 3 or more or drive/ride in such a way to cause harassment, alarm, distress or annoyance to the community.

The report pack also included a map of the PSPO area, which covers the entire borough of Waltham Forest.

Consultation

The council conducted a public consultation to gather feedback on the proposed extension of the PSPO. The consultation ran from 13 July 2022 to 18 June 2025 and included an online survey, in-person engagement at community centres and libraries, and stakeholder meetings with police, businesses, and residents.

A total of 277 individuals participated in the public consultation. Just over half of respondents (50.6%) indicated they were unaware of the borough-wide Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), while (43.4%) confirmed they were aware of it. When asked about the effectiveness of the PSPO in addressing anti-social behaviour, 30.1% of respondents felt it had been somewhat effective, while 26.1% considered it to be very ineffective. The majority of respondents indicated that vehicle related ASB was an issue in the borough with 90.4% highlighting this concern.

The consultation asked respondents to consider which behaviours they thought were a problem. The results were as follows:

• Vehicle related ASB (90.4%)
• Intimidation/harassment (84.5%)
• Public urination (77.5%)
• People drinking (76.4%)
• Verbal abuse (76.8%)
• Aggressive begging (71.2%)
• Illegal parking outside schools (56.5%).

Respondents were also asked if they thought any new measures should be included in the PSPO. Some of the suggestions included:

• Drug dealing and drug use
• Phone snatching
• Use of bicycles and electric scooters in town centres and on pavements
• Dog fouling
• Street harassment of women
• Littering and fly tipping
• Noise from speeding cars

Equalities Impact Assessment

The report pack included an Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA), which assessed the potential impact of the proposed decision on people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010¹. The EqIA concluded that the policy would have a positive impact on protected characteristics by preventing the negative impact of the nuisance caused by car meets.

The EqIA noted that the terms of the PSPO will not usually be enforced against children aged 17 years and under, meaning there is a planned disproportionate impact relating to age. However, it also stated that all members of the community are treated fairly and equally regardless of their age, and that where necessary additional support measures would be put in place through prevention, education and sign posting to relevant services.

Metropolitan Police Support

The report pack included a letter of support from Superintendent Sarah Jackson, Neighbourhood Policing Team, Chingford Police Station, North East Command. In the letter, Superintendent Sarah Jackson stated that she supported the extension of the PSPO for the entirety of Waltham Forest borough with no changes to be made. She stated that the PSPO will continue to assist officers dealing with offenders and continue with ongoing work to keep the borough of Waltham Forest a pleasant place to live, work and visit.