Charity collections and illegal trading will be banned under the new proposals
Author: Alexander Brock, LDRSPublished 25 minutes ago
Major plans to crack down on illegal street trading, charity collectors and more have been approved amid concerns over an ‘environment of harassment’ in the city centre.
The city council is pushing ahead with a proposal to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in a bid to combat ‘anti-social behaviour’ in certain streets.
The authority says it has received complaints about behaviours such as peddling, illegal street trading, charity cash or digital collections and obstruction of the public highway.
The authority, in a recently-published report, argued that such behaviours were adding to a sense of “chaos, shabbiness and threat” in the city centre.
The council itself has also experienced antagonism, with one female officer being threatened with “would you like your face punched in” by an acquaintance of an illegal street trader/pedlar.
More than 90 per cent of respondents who took part in a public consultation supported the proposed restriction on street trading without consent.
“I am sick to death of being constantly harassed when I am on my lunch break,” one respondent said.
“The city centre has been out of control for a long time, especially High Street,” another argued. “Controls to make the city centre look and feel like a more welcoming, inclusive destination are long overdue.”
A proposed crackdown on charity or commercial subscription collectors was also backed by more than 90 per cent of respondents, with one describing them as an “utter menace”.
The new order would come in across major streets across Birmingham city
“It is difficult to navigate the city centre, on foot or by vehicle, without being inundated with requests,” another said. “It really spoils the city centre as I often constantly feel guilty for saying ‘sorry, no’ and it puts me off from going into town.”
The council said previously that there’s an environment in the city centre “where visitors may be approached multiple times by ‘sellers’ or have to avoid obstructions multiple times on the busiest shopping streets in Birmingham”.
“This creates an environment of harassment and lack of control, thus providing opportunity for further anti-social behaviour and other criminality,” it said.
Cabinet members at Birmingham City Council approved the declaration of the PSPO earlier this week on Tuesday, July 22.
It’s set to cover Victoria Square, New Street and parts of High Street, Temple Street and Edgbaston Street near the Bullring.
What behaviours will be targeted through the PSPO?
The PSPO would prohibit street trading and obstruction of the public highway – that is, unless the relevant person has appropriate consent or lawful authority issued by the council.
The new restrictions would also mean that a person would be banned from distributing any materials, free literature or samples.
This applies whether it’s for their own commercial gain or for that of another person or organisation – unless they have the appropriate prior permission of the council.
“Registered charities, religious organisations and distributors of leaflets for political purposes are exempt from this prohibition unless they carry out these activities in a manner that obstructs or impedes the passage of any other person on the highway,” the PSPO document says.
It goes on to say that people would be prohibited “from soliciting for the completion of commercial or charity subscriptions without appropriate consent/licence … issued by the council.”
Similarly, soliciting for cash or digital donation for commercial or charity gain would be banned – again, unless the person has the appropriate consent or licence.
People would also be banned from peddling goods or services within the restricted area.