Agenda item

Background:

The report provided the Cabinet withthe outcomes of the public consultations on the introduction of a Medway wide Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) were introduced by section 59 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (this section came into force on 20 October 2014). PSPOs are an order created in relation to areas within the local authority’s jurisdiction, where activities are taking place that are, or are likely to be, detrimental to the local community’s quality of life. PSPOs impose conditions or restrictions on people within that area. A Breach of a PSPO is an offence punishable by a fixed penalty notice and/or prosecution in the Magistrates Court.

The report had previously been considered by the Regeneration, Culture and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10 October 2024 and its comments were set out in section 9 of the report.

Reasons:

The introduction of the PSPO should help control several issues that arise as a result of people failing to exercise proper control of dogs in public places.

The PSPO included controls on dog fouling, defining areas where dogs were not permitted – such as playgrounds, and requiring dogs to be on leads in some public places across Medway and over the long-term improve the quality of life for residents, visitors and local businesses.