Council proposes additional measures to combat anti-social behaviour in public spaces

Cannock Chase Council’s Cabinet have agreed to consult on extending and amending the current Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to reduce anti-social behaviour in the district.

As well as prohibiting problematic street drinking, Cabinet wants views on whether to prohibit five other activities that cause a nuisance for residents and businesses.

These include anti-social use of motorised vehicles, unauthorised incursions onto rooftops, public urination/defecation and disposal of drug paraphernalia, people abandoning possessions which block doorways and fire escapes and loitering which is likely to cause anti-social behaviour.

Councillor David Williams, portfolio leader for Community Wellbeing said “PSPO’s are to ensure that public spaces can be enjoyed by all and free from anti-social behaviour. 

“The existing PSPO has worked well to address anti-social street drinking across the district, so I am pleased that we are consulting on extending it. 

“The addition of the other behaviour types will help address the anti-social behaviour issues that you have told us cause you concern across the district. 

“These measures will help in our mission to crack down on anti-social behaviour and ensure that Cannock Chase is a great place to live, work and visit.”

The consultation will run until Sunday 6 October 2024. 

Click here for more information and to take part in the consultation.

Meanwhile, the council will also take significant steps to tackle the rising demand for housing repairs across the district.

In April there was a notable surge in repair requests, which has added to the backlog.

Council’s Cabinet have agreed to use £231,000 from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) to procure an external contractor to clear the backlog and ensure that a reduction of outstanding repairs was seen over the next six months.

This follows a report to Cabinet which detailed the backlog caused by the significant rise in repairs requests and implementation of new IT software.

Councillor Sue Thornley (pictured), Housing and Corporate Assets portfolio leader said: “Cannock Chase Council is committed to taking the necessary steps to restore its housing repair services to a manageable and efficient level.

“By using some of the HRA budget to procure an external contractor, we can clear the backlog swiftly and progress with the positive initiatives that we have planned.”