Call for more action to tackle vehicular anti-social behaviour

Councillor Paul Alderson (Conservative, Guiseley and Rawdon) said he was disappointed that the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) that came into force in Leeds earlier this year had not seen a reduction in the amount of incidents of anti-social behaviour in his own ward. The PSPO applies to the whole of the city and prohibits anti-social use of motor vehicles including motorcycles.

Cllr Alderson used a Full Leeds City Council meeting on Wednesday, September 13 to ask how many Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) and convictions there had been due to the PSPO in his ward since the order was introduced in April this year. The Executive Member confirmed the answer was zero.

Cllr Alderson had previously raised his concerns about vehicular nuisance at a Scrutiny Board meeting in June.

Cllr Alderson said: “It is extremely disappointing that the PSPO has not yet had an impact in my ward. Despite the Executive Member’s suggestion that these kinds of problems are not as prevalent as in other communities, I’m sure there are many local residents who would beg to differ.

"The fact there have not been any FPNs issued in Guiseley and Rawdon as a result of this PSPO sadly suggests to me that the Council needs to do more to ensure the Order is enforced properly, not that there are no offences taking place. This would have been made easier had the administration backed the opposition budget amendment to provide more PCSOs across the city, instead of voting it down.

“I am calling on the Council and partners to do more to tackle this problem. Residents are fed up of anti-social behaviour caused by cars and motorcycles. The PSPO is meant to address it, but the results so far are not encouraging. This is a genuine issue of community safety and the Council has a responsibility to do everything it can to tackle it.”

Cllr Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s Executive Member with responsibility for Community Safety, said: “The council is committed to working with the police to tackle all forms of anti-social behaviour, but this work has been made much harder by the cuts to police and council funding by Government since 2010. West Yorkshire Police are the primary enforcement agency for vehicular nuisance under the PSPO across Leeds and I would appeal to the councillor and to the public to ensure they report any incidents to the police or through to the Council’s Anti-Social behaviour Team who will be able to act upon the information provided.”