A crackdown on town centre yobs
BEGGING, street drinking and skateboarding will all be banned in Rochdale town centre after councillors voted to approve a controversial crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
Unauthorised charity collectors - known as ‘chuggers’ - playing loud music, loudly revving car engines, ‘anti-social parking’ and loitering are also set to be outlawed under the Public Space Protection Order.
Anyone caught breaching the PSPO could be warned, moved on or hit with an on-the-spot fine.
But, as the Observer reported on Wednesday, plans for a swearing ban and to bar under-18s from the town centre between 11pm and 6am, were dropped.
The changes came after complaints the swearing ban would breach human rights. Greater Manchester Police also raised concerns.
A report about the PSPO proposals, which went before Rochdale’s cabinet on Tuesday, said: “GMP supported the PSPO but advised to drop the swearing ban given the issues with enforcement and that there is already legislation in place to deal with people using foul and abusive language in a manner that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.”
Coun Neil Emmott, the council’s cabinet member for housing and environment, welcomed the move saying: “We are committed to creating a town centre residents can be proud of, somewhere welcoming that they want to visit, spend time in and shop comfortably.
“Whilst within the town centre, the experience can often be ruined by a small number of people adopting antisocial or thoughtless behaviour.”
Several town centre businesses were reported to have supported the PSPO although the council received several objections to the ‘begging ban’.
In its report, the council insisted most of the people begging in the town centre are ‘not homeless’.
The report stated: “The key point made by objectors is that the ‘ban on begging’ would punish vulnerable members of society by imposing financial penalties they cannot afford and cruelly forcing them to use what little money they might have saved from the charity of others to pay a fine.
“Alternatively, many of the businesses and members of the general public who supported the proposed order wish to see the number of beggars in Rochdale town centre reduced as they felt it had a negative impact on the image of the town and adversely affected business by putting people off coming into the town centre.
“The council does acknowledge this is a sensitive issue which needs careful handling.”
When the order was first proposed in March human rights campaign group Liberty, which objected to the PSPO, described the plans as a ‘staggering misuse of power’.