‘Give us power to change orders to bypass red tape’

PSPOS could be revised without public views

Controversial rules banning a number of activities across the district could be amended in the future without public consultation, it has emerged.

Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOS), which prohibit things such as lighting a barbecue or drinking from a glass bottle on beaches and in parks, give the city council the power to dish out £100 fines to those flouting the rules.

The process of having an order drawn up, approved and then revised can prove lengthy, so the authority wants to rid itself of “nitpicking red tape” in an effort to speed things up.

If its plan is agreed, council officers will be delegated new powers allowing them to “extend, vary or discharge” PSPOS as long as the changes are kept “within the spirit” of the existing order.

They will be required to consult with the council’s relevant cabinet member before making a decision, but neither the public or any other councillors will be asked for their views.

The council stresses any significant changes will still be fully scrutinised and shall go through all of the traditional channels, such as public consultations.

It adds the powers are predicted to only be used “sparingly”.

Cllr Ashley Clark, a lead for enforcement at the authority, says the move is a sensible one.

“If there’s a children’s play area that has been missed and isn’t covered by a dog control ban, it could be added in,” he explained.

“If an area is missed off in error, officers will be able to add that in with ease. It’s an administrative tidy-up.

“When creating the zones for the Stour Parks and Gorrell Valley PSPOS there was an error in mapping and a footpath was missed off.

“It meant it then had to go back through a long-winded consultation in order to get approved. That’s not a good use of council time and it’s just so slow. It’s the sensible thing to do as it means you won’t be held up by nitpicking red tape.”

Councillors are due to agree to the delegation of powers at Monday night’s governance committee meeting.

‘It’s the sensible thing to do as it means you won’t be held up by nitpicking red tape...’