Issue - meetings

(a)       That the Committee notes the need to consult with the required consultees and members of the public with the purpose of gaining views to extend the two current PSPO’s in Flintshire for a period of three years;

(b)       That the Committee recommends Cabinet approves the consultation methods proposed in the report to gain views on extending the two current PSPO’s in Flintshire for a period of three years; and

(c)        That the Committee recommends to Cabinet that representations are made to Government regarding extending the renewal interval for PSPO’s to 5 years.

Brief overviews were given by the Chief Officer (Streetscene and  Transportation) and Chief Officer (Planning, Economy and Environment) on the Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO’s) on Dog Control and Alcohol Control stressing that if the Orders were not put in place would it mean that no enforcement could be carried out.  Presentations on the report were then given by the Trading Standards Team Manager and the Regulatory Service Manager.

The Trading Standards Team Manager explained that the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 introduced PSPO’s which were designed to stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in public places.  They were first introduced in Flintshire in October 2017 and required renewal after 3 years through the same consultation process.

The current Dog Control PSPO is for dog owners to:

1.    Remove their dogs’ waste from all public places within Flintshire

2.    Have a means on their person to pick up dog waste

3.    Place their dog on a lead when asked by an authorised officer if the dog was causing a nuisance

4.    Prohibit dogs from entering the playing areas of public marked sports pitches, former recreation areas including but not exclusively bowling greens and tennis courts, fenced equipped children’s play areas and all areas within school grounds.

5.    Keep their dog on a lead in cemeteries

In 2009 Flintshire County Council introduced a Designated Public Place Order for Alcohol Control which in 2017 automatically transitioned over to the Alcohol Control PSPO which is why it is needed to be renewed.  The current PSPO on Alcohol Control was not a total ban on drinking Alcohol but an offence was caused when not complying to a request by North Wales Police to cease drinking or surrender alcohol in a public place.  It does not apply to licenced premises areas e.g. beer gardens etc.

The Regulatory Services Manager then explained the enforcement behind the PSPO’s since the engagement with Kingdom ended nearly 2 years ago

·      In-house enforcement team

·      Emphasis on engagement with residents

·      Patrols are intelligence lead

The Trading Standards Team Manager gave an overview of the Consultation which was due to run for a slightly longer period due to the current crisis and the holiday period taking place from beginning of August to the end of the first week in September.

·      Legal requirements with statutory partners

·      Residents online Survey

·      Proposed to report the outcomes from the consultation process back to Environment, Overview and Scrutiny in September 2020 to agree a recommendation to Cabinet for approval.

Along with other Members Councillor Shotton endorsed extending the two current PSPO’s within Flintshire and was glad that Officers were now back out patrolling after doing other duties due to Covid. He thanked backyard volunteers for the patrolling work they had done in parks in Connah’s Quay and asked if Rosie Fishing Park in Wepre Park could also be included in the Dog Control PSPO list as dogs not on leads had wrecked fishing equipment and also killed ducks.   Councillor Dunbobbin also asked if  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77