Council drops plans to fine ‘aggressive’ beggars £100
MANCHESTER council has dropped plans to fine people £100 for ‘aggressive or intimidating’ begging – but is ploughing ahead with penalties for other kinds of anti-social behaviour in the city centre.
Anyone caught urinating in public, dropping a syringe or refusing to move from a doorway after being asked could still be hit with an on-the-spot fine, according to documents going before councillors next week.
But the town hall has dropped the most controversial element from its proposed list of actions after a public consultation suggested the move was unpopular.
The town hall revealed its plans to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in the city centre earlier this year in a bid to crack down on antisocial behaviour.
But it had proved controversial with some, including human rights group Liberty, who said the plans to fine individuals for begging were ‘cruel and perverse.’
The town hall has consistently said the order is focused on anti-social behaviour and isn’t a move to demonise rough sleepers.
But, following a public consultation in which more than 3,000 people responded, the council has decided to drop ‘aggressive and intimidating begging’ from the list of behaviours included in its prospective PSPO.
It said that while hundreds of people told them that this behaviour has a ‘detrimental impact on their quality of life,’ the majority of respondents to the consultation opposed the move.
Hundreds of respondents said they would rather see more support for people begging, instead of including their behaviour under the PSPO.
The council said its engagement work alongside police, voluntary and community organisations is helping to reduce begging across the city centre.
“It is therefore considered that a PSPO prohibition, which would only be enforceable by a fine, would not be effective in reducing anti-social begging and tackling vulnerable people’s underlying needs and it is not included in the revised order,” they said.
The list of actions still included in the updated proposal – which will be discussed in next week’s communities and equalities scrutiny meeting – include:
■ Consuming alcohol in a public space other than a licensed premises or area.
■ Discarding hypodermic needles or syringes in a public space (except a proper sharps container)
■ Urinating or defecating in a public place other than a toilet
■ Anyone obstructing a building entrance or exit or stairwell, or a footpath or road in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles can’t get past, must move within a reasonable time if asked to do so by an authorised officer.
A third of arrests in Manchester in the last year were recorded as involving alcohol intoxication, town hall documents say, with reports from residents and city centre workers of people urinating and defecating outside people’s homes, in the street and near pubs and clubs.