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The hyper-regulation of public space: the use and abuse of Public Spaces Protection Orders in England and Wales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Kevin J. Brown
Kevin J. Brown*
Affiliation:
School of Law, Queen's University Belfast, 27–30 University Square, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
*
Email: k.brown@qub.ac.uk
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Abstract

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Contemporary state authorities in the United Kingdom and elsewhere have increasingly sought to regulate the use of public space. This paper explores through a doctrinal and socio-legal analysis how recently introduced Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) are being used in England and Wales to enforce majoritarian sensibilities at the expense of due process and civil liberties. PSPOs were introduced in October 2014. These orders grant considerable discretion to local authorities to use the threat of criminal sanction to regulate activities in public spaces that they regard as being detrimental to the quality of life of residents. This paper provides the first comprehensive critique of how these orders are used to target minority and vulnerable groups, while curtailing fundamental freedoms. The paper includes suggestions for reforms to make the PSPO function in a manner that is more compatible with a rights-based approach.

Type
Research Article
Information
Legal Studies , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , September 2017 , pp. 543 - 568
Copyright
Copyright © Society of Legal Scholars 2017

Footnotes

*

With thanks to Fiona Leverick and the anonymous reviewers for their comments. All errors remain those of the author.

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108. Ibid.

109. Ibid, ss 61(5), 61(6).

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112. The following applies in England only: The Byelaws (Alternative Procedure) (England) Regulations 2016.

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158. Ibid.

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166. Ibid.

167. Oxford City Council ‘City centre Public Spaces Protection Order report for City Executive Board’ (Oxford: Oxford City Council, 2015); available at http://mycouncil.oxford.gov.uk/documents/s23804/Report_City%20Centre%20PSPO.pdf (accessed 17 September 2016).

168. M McKenna ‘Oxford City Council amends draft Public Spaces Prevention Order (PSPO) following concerns from homelessness organisations’ Housing Excellence 20 May 2015; available at http://www.housingexcellence.co.uk/news/oxford-city-council-amends-draft-public-spaces-prevention-order-pspo-following-concerns (accessed 17 September 2016).

169. Oxford City Council ‘Public Spaces Protection Order’; available at https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20101/community_safety/274/public_spaces_protection_orders (accessed 17 September 2016).

170. Public Spaces Protection Order (Shepway District Council) 2015 No 1.