Campaign group's call to scrap open space orders
A civil liberties campaign group is calling for an end to community orders used by councils to control people’s behaviour in public open spaces.
The Manifesto Club wants ‘ASBO style’ Community Protection Notices (CPN) – given out for reasons including nuisance behaviour and waste dumping in parks and open areas – scrapped.
South Tyneside Borough Council used the orders just seven times last year, according to figures obtained in a Freedom of Information requests submitted by the campaign group.
The orders can place legal restrictions on people whose behaviour is deemed to have a “detrimental” effect on a community’s quality of life.
Nationally, 8,760 CPNs were issued by 202 councils in the year to October – the highest number recorded by the civil liberties group and up from 6,234 by 192 councils the previous year.
Director of the Manifesto Club Josie Appleton said the test for what constitutes detrimental behaviour was “unprecedentedly low” for criminal intervention, and that the powers were hard to appeal.
She added: “These blank-cheque busybody powers are the cause of immense injustice, and a fundamental threat to our freedoms. They should be removed from the statute book.”
The Local Government Association defended their use as “one of a number of ways councils can tackle persistent anti-social behaviour problems raised by local communities”.
Nesil Caliskan, chairman of the LGA’s safer and stronger communities board, said: “CPNs will not be suitable or effective in all circumstances, and councils will consider other approaches which may better resolve the anti-social behaviour identified.