There are constantly things people are distressed and angry about - closures of libraries, swimming pools, facilities for young people, care for the elderly, schools falling to bits…. and begging/antisocial behaviour on the streets. It was always a clever move by wealthy cabinet members who would never be affected personally: cut grants to local authorities, and watch them get the blame for the damage to the social fabric we’ve been seeing over the past decade or so.
The city centre is terrible. Sadly, my bus stop is outside McDonald's and despite being a big lad I often don't feel safe. I don't like being there in the dark. It's the erratic temperaments of a lot of the patrons which worries me most. Some days you wonder if people are passed out or dead. Most don't even seem to beg. I've witnessed countless confrontations and fights. It's only a matter of time I til a passer by is seriously injured.
I genuinely hate going into town now. I'm glad my elderly mother no longer comes into town. It's not safe at all. And, for the elderly and vulnerable people who use buses the shelters and other city centre seating is often taken over or disgusting.
Simply moving people on doesn't solve a problem though and the concept of fining a homeless person in laughable. You're simply encouraging begging to turn into shoplifting and then into muggings.
The sensible thing to do would be to work with charities, religious organisations and voluntary groups to use unoccupied properties as somewhere where these people can go. Be fed. Find help and support. Get a shower. Use as an address to apply for jobs etc. Coordinate the approach.
This problem is only solved by both tackling the root causes and offering a helping hand. Thus far the council has managed to gentrify the Moor, destroy Haymarket and turn Fargate into squalor. Investing a lot of money to simply move a problem. Making Fargate and High Street almost no go areas. Seemingly mostly populated by spiceheads or Deliveroo drivers who don't seem to like cycling on roads.
Creating and maintaining a thriving city centre is about much more than creating a 'café culture'. The centre of any city plays a crucial role in its economic and social well being. Sheffield city centre is important for us all whether we visit it or not. The big problem in Sheffield for decades was to define the 'city centre '. That's why the decision was taken some years ago to identify and construct the 'heart of the city'. The current situation is that many, probably most, citizens of Sheffield don't see the centre as a welcoming or safe space. In part because of the presence on the streets of the people referred to in this article. Whether that feeling is based on perception rather than reality or not, it is an issue that needs to be dealt with by the 'authorities'. The City Council are consulting on whether or not to bring in a PSPO. I would be amazed if it doesn't happen. The crucial question then is what is to be done about the people who will undoubtedly be removed from the city centre. Just removing them may benefit the city centre. But it may also just move the problem out to some of the suburbs. We mustn't forget that every one of those people on the streets is a human being and needs to be treated humanely. I am in favour of the PSPO. But my support is qualified. I want to see a strategic plan to address the issues that will come in its wake. Waiting for a future Government to ride to the rescue just isn't good enough. I would urge everyone to read the Council's Constitution document and complete its attached survey.
The PSBO may be viewed as one of the measures to make the city Centre more attractive to the people of Sheffield. It must run alongside effective measures to help people on the streets to change their way of life or live more comfortably. The provision of safe places to go, when the Archer Project or Ben's Centre close, is essential. Policing some of the more aggressive behaviours of alcohol and drug use and referrals to health and social services is another. There needs to be a more comprehensive plan than just PSBOs and the Council should be proactive in creating this plan with businesses, health and social care authorities, voluntary organisations and the Police, otherwise the problems will just migrate to other parts of the city.
Sheffield wants a continental style café culture. Is a public space protection order the answer?
No!
Sheffield has identified itself - officially - as a City of Sanctuary: it was the first city to do so, a catalyst for what has become a national phenomenon. If we tried more diligently to work out what this means and how it might be made real we would come to recognise that a PSPO is a measure short on both practical and ethical value.
Doing so might even generate a concept of a city with a culture (even) better than a continental style cafe one.
Just to add: great article, responsibly and respectfully written.
Great article, including several different viewpoints. The "no comment" from City Centre ambassador about implementing the new powers if they come in was pretty telling. As others have said, the Order sounds like a simplistic way of trying to tackle a complex problem. I liked another commenter's idea of using currently unoccupied city centre buildings for vulnerable people though that would obviously be complicated. It needs a coordinated approach, though funding cuts to SCC, charities, social services and NHS might stymie that.
Interesting that Miskell thinks that 'antisocial behaviour ' needs to be moved out as the city centre becomes a neighbourhood, when the effect of the PSPO will be to simply move the behaviour to other neighbourhoods - just not his.
Another great article. I don’t believe the PSPOs are the answer either. It will just displace the problem to other more suburban areas where the flash points may be more impactful in a smaller space. I understand the need to ensure the City Centre is safe, however, what is needed is more provision for those with nothing. What is the point of giving a penalty to a destitute person? I will definitely respond to the consultation after reading this article.
I agree. On one hand, I find the city centre to be intimidating due to the behaviours of some ‘beggers’ (and other people) but while a PSPO would help that it wouldn’t help the cause of it. These people have problems of many kinds and I’d rather we spent our money helping them not feel they have to live like that rather than just moving them on.
If this approach leads to more prosecutions and sentences being dished out then not only will this system cost money to implement but add more cost for the courts and prison system.
All of that money could be put towards solving the core of the problem by giving it to Ben centre and places like that and finding more accommodation support and shelter for these people.
I think it would be helpful if The Tribune interviewed Tracey Ford Sheffield City Council's Vulnerability & Risk Manager, City Centre. I understand she was homeless and an addict at an early age. She could give more insight into the issues and what is being done to help people. The Help Us Help website https://www.helpushelpsheffield.uk/ and social media accounts link up all the organisations in Sheffield which are working together to help vulnerable people. There is alot going on and a huge amount is also done by volunteers. The best practice guidance says they do not want the public giving money to people on the streets because it keeps them in the cycle of addiction and stops them getting the help they need. There is food available 7 days a week in Sheffield, so there should be no reason to beg for money for food. I live in the city centre and speak to people regularly. I have not met one person on the streets who does not have a Framework Support Worker. They all know about the Archer Project, Ben's Centre and Sunday Centre but choose not to go there for various reasons - don't like the people there, too noisy, don't like the food, some people smell and are aggressive etc etc.
It's common sense that these poor people do not have the money to pay fines under a PSPO, but the various agencies and organisations have been trying for a while to stop people giving them money. Maybe the PSPO is the only way that they can do that.
A couple of my friends would argue that who are we to judge how people live? They would give money to people on the streets knowing it would be spent on drugs and alcohol. If it makes them feel better for a while, then so be it. After all alot of people self medicate with alcohol, it's just not so public, would be their argument.
The cuts to services (as other commentators have mentioned) has had a massive impact. Support workers are only available through Shelter for 6 months to help people get back into independent living. It is not long enough when they have complex, long standing issues. They end up back on the streets and the cycle starts again.
Most people begging on The Moor come from the Salvation Army Hostel on Charter Row across the road. The council pays £1500 a month for each person living there. They aren't begging for money for food and shelter.
Personally I think more could be done to publicise how much work is being done to help vulnerable people. There are success stories where people are supported back into independent living, we just never get to hear about them or see the figures.
Everyone should have sympathy for the homeless as many of us are no more than a few months away from the same fate, 'but'!
Doing nothing should not be an option. If Sheffield residents are frightened to go into town so are visitors. We need the city centre to feel safe for everybody.
My daughter who lives in London brought my two grandchildren (10 & 11) to stay in a city centre hotel to show them where she had grown up. On leaving the hotel on the first morning of their stay the kids were frightened to find rough sleepers blocking the doorway. In London my grandchildren had not experienced the problem we have in Sheffield. Surely there must be a solution otherwise the city centre will become a 'no go area'.
PSPOs are a tool for regulating and managing behaviour in public space. That is, they apply to everyone (and, in theory, cannot be used to target particular populations).
So, for the ‘no street drinking’ proposed, for example, this means that a couple of students having a beer after an exam in an city centre greenspace, or a student with their parents at graduation sharing a picnic and bottle of wine (or anyone sharing a picnic/wine for that matter) in the Peace Gardens (say), or any footie fan getting off a train with an open can of lager, or city centre residents wandering out on a warm evening with glass in hand etc etc will (and must be) equally subject to the PSPO stipulations. Fixed penalty notices can be issued (for £100) by all those charged with enforcement. According to the Manifesto Club (who campaign against things like PSPOs), 90% of councils also use commercial enforcers who are financially incentivised to issue FPNs (as they get a cut).
Of course, the evidence that does exist (it’s not comprehensive evidence because, worryingly, govt does not oversee councils’ use of these powers) shows that, of course, PSPOs do disproportionately affect/target certain groups - all those mentioned in the article but also young people, those who can’t afford to drink in regulated/official on the street bars/restaurants, certain migrant groups/asylum seekers, people with learning difficulties and mental health problems etc. Whilst it’s right to point this out i.e. that the most vulnerable will be disproportionately affected, make no mistake….PSPOs apply to all of us. They are about the regulation/management of public space.
Govt guidance requires councils to consider what is the loss of civil liberties for everyone (and what is in some cases quite normal, social behaviour) in considering a PSPO. As far as I can see the council has not done this. Of course, everyone deserves to feel safe on our city streets but, in fact, the officers report to committee on this first off tells us that Sheffield is one of the safest cities in the country. They cite no real evidence, in this context, that a PSPO order is justified and that the battery of already existing powers are not adequate - if used effectively - to deal with instances of real anti-social behaviour. Nor any evidence to suggest Sheffield will be any different from anywhere else and not produce a situation whereby the most vulnerable and disadvantaged are more likely to be criminalised by the PSPO). We certainly don’t need to give ourselves what is, effectively, a collective ASBO (including telling ourselves we must not defacate in the street - seriously do we need to tell ourselves not to do this? Tho where ARE all the public toilets in the city centre?)
It’s also been argued that PSPOs can reduce public tolerance of difference - and in a big, diverse, unequal city we absolutely need to be promoting tolerance.
I asked public questions at the Communities Committee on 29th Jan that received the - what I thought was disgraceful - report on this issue. These can still be seen on the webcast. I was also disruptive during the discussion (I’m afraid) because I was pretty appalled.
It is also something when our council is less transparent than the local business stakeholders about the thinking behind this. If you go to the BIDS website they are quite open that they have been lobbying the council for years about a PSPO. But the council report does not make this clear. This is absolutely about pandering to what business apparently believes it needs - a ‘pre-consultation’ was carried out but only with businesses, certainly not with those most likely to be most affected, or with city centre residents.
The whole of the city centre is proposed for coverage (from the ring road on - plus station) despite many areas within this where no ASB has been reported. Again, govt guidance tells us that a PSPO must be proportionate and justified but it seems that can also just be ignored. And then there’s the problem of displacement - especially to areas just outside the boundary of the proposed area) as the article states.
I do think a PSPO is an absolute ‘done deal’ and we have another sham consultation on our hands. But I still hope people indicate objections where possible.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have an alternative vision? Instead of hyper-regulating our public spaces at the behest of purely commercial interests (including what is in many cases normal social behaviour - or behaviour 99.9% of us wouldn’t engage in anyway) and targeting/criminalising the most disadvantaged, we could say we embrace our public spaces as all of ours and as places we connect and meet in all our diversity, where we respect but also tolerate each other and our differences. And where things tip over and support agencies can’t help, expect the police to do their job (and certainly not a load of council-legitimised ‘enforcers’)
There are constantly things people are distressed and angry about - closures of libraries, swimming pools, facilities for young people, care for the elderly, schools falling to bits…. and begging/antisocial behaviour on the streets. It was always a clever move by wealthy cabinet members who would never be affected personally: cut grants to local authorities, and watch them get the blame for the damage to the social fabric we’ve been seeing over the past decade or so.
The city centre is terrible. Sadly, my bus stop is outside McDonald's and despite being a big lad I often don't feel safe. I don't like being there in the dark. It's the erratic temperaments of a lot of the patrons which worries me most. Some days you wonder if people are passed out or dead. Most don't even seem to beg. I've witnessed countless confrontations and fights. It's only a matter of time I til a passer by is seriously injured.
I genuinely hate going into town now. I'm glad my elderly mother no longer comes into town. It's not safe at all. And, for the elderly and vulnerable people who use buses the shelters and other city centre seating is often taken over or disgusting.
Simply moving people on doesn't solve a problem though and the concept of fining a homeless person in laughable. You're simply encouraging begging to turn into shoplifting and then into muggings.
The sensible thing to do would be to work with charities, religious organisations and voluntary groups to use unoccupied properties as somewhere where these people can go. Be fed. Find help and support. Get a shower. Use as an address to apply for jobs etc. Coordinate the approach.
This problem is only solved by both tackling the root causes and offering a helping hand. Thus far the council has managed to gentrify the Moor, destroy Haymarket and turn Fargate into squalor. Investing a lot of money to simply move a problem. Making Fargate and High Street almost no go areas. Seemingly mostly populated by spiceheads or Deliveroo drivers who don't seem to like cycling on roads.
Its also well known that certain food places result in scuzzy areas. What we need to do is get rid of those food suppliers ;-)
Creating and maintaining a thriving city centre is about much more than creating a 'café culture'. The centre of any city plays a crucial role in its economic and social well being. Sheffield city centre is important for us all whether we visit it or not. The big problem in Sheffield for decades was to define the 'city centre '. That's why the decision was taken some years ago to identify and construct the 'heart of the city'. The current situation is that many, probably most, citizens of Sheffield don't see the centre as a welcoming or safe space. In part because of the presence on the streets of the people referred to in this article. Whether that feeling is based on perception rather than reality or not, it is an issue that needs to be dealt with by the 'authorities'. The City Council are consulting on whether or not to bring in a PSPO. I would be amazed if it doesn't happen. The crucial question then is what is to be done about the people who will undoubtedly be removed from the city centre. Just removing them may benefit the city centre. But it may also just move the problem out to some of the suburbs. We mustn't forget that every one of those people on the streets is a human being and needs to be treated humanely. I am in favour of the PSPO. But my support is qualified. I want to see a strategic plan to address the issues that will come in its wake. Waiting for a future Government to ride to the rescue just isn't good enough. I would urge everyone to read the Council's Constitution document and complete its attached survey.
Yes, its another false consultation (like Police Crime Commissioner).
The PSBO may be viewed as one of the measures to make the city Centre more attractive to the people of Sheffield. It must run alongside effective measures to help people on the streets to change their way of life or live more comfortably. The provision of safe places to go, when the Archer Project or Ben's Centre close, is essential. Policing some of the more aggressive behaviours of alcohol and drug use and referrals to health and social services is another. There needs to be a more comprehensive plan than just PSBOs and the Council should be proactive in creating this plan with businesses, health and social care authorities, voluntary organisations and the Police, otherwise the problems will just migrate to other parts of the city.
Sheffield wants a continental style café culture. Is a public space protection order the answer?
No!
Sheffield has identified itself - officially - as a City of Sanctuary: it was the first city to do so, a catalyst for what has become a national phenomenon. If we tried more diligently to work out what this means and how it might be made real we would come to recognise that a PSPO is a measure short on both practical and ethical value.
Doing so might even generate a concept of a city with a culture (even) better than a continental style cafe one.
Just to add: great article, responsibly and respectfully written.
Great article, including several different viewpoints. The "no comment" from City Centre ambassador about implementing the new powers if they come in was pretty telling. As others have said, the Order sounds like a simplistic way of trying to tackle a complex problem. I liked another commenter's idea of using currently unoccupied city centre buildings for vulnerable people though that would obviously be complicated. It needs a coordinated approach, though funding cuts to SCC, charities, social services and NHS might stymie that.
This is spot on. Plus European cities with a ‘cafe culture’ tend to have less rain and more sunshine than we do.
Please let them know what you think here, before they make this decision about these vulnerable people: It doesn't take long. https://haveyoursay.sheffield.gov.uk/proposed-city-centre-pspo
Interesting that Miskell thinks that 'antisocial behaviour ' needs to be moved out as the city centre becomes a neighbourhood, when the effect of the PSPO will be to simply move the behaviour to other neighbourhoods - just not his.
Another great article. I don’t believe the PSPOs are the answer either. It will just displace the problem to other more suburban areas where the flash points may be more impactful in a smaller space. I understand the need to ensure the City Centre is safe, however, what is needed is more provision for those with nothing. What is the point of giving a penalty to a destitute person? I will definitely respond to the consultation after reading this article.
I agree. On one hand, I find the city centre to be intimidating due to the behaviours of some ‘beggers’ (and other people) but while a PSPO would help that it wouldn’t help the cause of it. These people have problems of many kinds and I’d rather we spent our money helping them not feel they have to live like that rather than just moving them on.
If this approach leads to more prosecutions and sentences being dished out then not only will this system cost money to implement but add more cost for the courts and prison system.
All of that money could be put towards solving the core of the problem by giving it to Ben centre and places like that and finding more accommodation support and shelter for these people.
Yup...how the fxxx do Cllrs think the begging homeless will pay the fines?!
I think it would be helpful if The Tribune interviewed Tracey Ford Sheffield City Council's Vulnerability & Risk Manager, City Centre. I understand she was homeless and an addict at an early age. She could give more insight into the issues and what is being done to help people. The Help Us Help website https://www.helpushelpsheffield.uk/ and social media accounts link up all the organisations in Sheffield which are working together to help vulnerable people. There is alot going on and a huge amount is also done by volunteers. The best practice guidance says they do not want the public giving money to people on the streets because it keeps them in the cycle of addiction and stops them getting the help they need. There is food available 7 days a week in Sheffield, so there should be no reason to beg for money for food. I live in the city centre and speak to people regularly. I have not met one person on the streets who does not have a Framework Support Worker. They all know about the Archer Project, Ben's Centre and Sunday Centre but choose not to go there for various reasons - don't like the people there, too noisy, don't like the food, some people smell and are aggressive etc etc.
It's common sense that these poor people do not have the money to pay fines under a PSPO, but the various agencies and organisations have been trying for a while to stop people giving them money. Maybe the PSPO is the only way that they can do that.
A couple of my friends would argue that who are we to judge how people live? They would give money to people on the streets knowing it would be spent on drugs and alcohol. If it makes them feel better for a while, then so be it. After all alot of people self medicate with alcohol, it's just not so public, would be their argument.
The cuts to services (as other commentators have mentioned) has had a massive impact. Support workers are only available through Shelter for 6 months to help people get back into independent living. It is not long enough when they have complex, long standing issues. They end up back on the streets and the cycle starts again.
Most people begging on The Moor come from the Salvation Army Hostel on Charter Row across the road. The council pays £1500 a month for each person living there. They aren't begging for money for food and shelter.
Personally I think more could be done to publicise how much work is being done to help vulnerable people. There are success stories where people are supported back into independent living, we just never get to hear about them or see the figures.
Everyone should have sympathy for the homeless as many of us are no more than a few months away from the same fate, 'but'!
Doing nothing should not be an option. If Sheffield residents are frightened to go into town so are visitors. We need the city centre to feel safe for everybody.
My daughter who lives in London brought my two grandchildren (10 & 11) to stay in a city centre hotel to show them where she had grown up. On leaving the hotel on the first morning of their stay the kids were frightened to find rough sleepers blocking the doorway. In London my grandchildren had not experienced the problem we have in Sheffield. Surely there must be a solution otherwise the city centre will become a 'no go area'.
PSPOs are a tool for regulating and managing behaviour in public space. That is, they apply to everyone (and, in theory, cannot be used to target particular populations).
So, for the ‘no street drinking’ proposed, for example, this means that a couple of students having a beer after an exam in an city centre greenspace, or a student with their parents at graduation sharing a picnic and bottle of wine (or anyone sharing a picnic/wine for that matter) in the Peace Gardens (say), or any footie fan getting off a train with an open can of lager, or city centre residents wandering out on a warm evening with glass in hand etc etc will (and must be) equally subject to the PSPO stipulations. Fixed penalty notices can be issued (for £100) by all those charged with enforcement. According to the Manifesto Club (who campaign against things like PSPOs), 90% of councils also use commercial enforcers who are financially incentivised to issue FPNs (as they get a cut).
Of course, the evidence that does exist (it’s not comprehensive evidence because, worryingly, govt does not oversee councils’ use of these powers) shows that, of course, PSPOs do disproportionately affect/target certain groups - all those mentioned in the article but also young people, those who can’t afford to drink in regulated/official on the street bars/restaurants, certain migrant groups/asylum seekers, people with learning difficulties and mental health problems etc. Whilst it’s right to point this out i.e. that the most vulnerable will be disproportionately affected, make no mistake….PSPOs apply to all of us. They are about the regulation/management of public space.
Govt guidance requires councils to consider what is the loss of civil liberties for everyone (and what is in some cases quite normal, social behaviour) in considering a PSPO. As far as I can see the council has not done this. Of course, everyone deserves to feel safe on our city streets but, in fact, the officers report to committee on this first off tells us that Sheffield is one of the safest cities in the country. They cite no real evidence, in this context, that a PSPO order is justified and that the battery of already existing powers are not adequate - if used effectively - to deal with instances of real anti-social behaviour. Nor any evidence to suggest Sheffield will be any different from anywhere else and not produce a situation whereby the most vulnerable and disadvantaged are more likely to be criminalised by the PSPO). We certainly don’t need to give ourselves what is, effectively, a collective ASBO (including telling ourselves we must not defacate in the street - seriously do we need to tell ourselves not to do this? Tho where ARE all the public toilets in the city centre?)
It’s also been argued that PSPOs can reduce public tolerance of difference - and in a big, diverse, unequal city we absolutely need to be promoting tolerance.
I asked public questions at the Communities Committee on 29th Jan that received the - what I thought was disgraceful - report on this issue. These can still be seen on the webcast. I was also disruptive during the discussion (I’m afraid) because I was pretty appalled.
It is also something when our council is less transparent than the local business stakeholders about the thinking behind this. If you go to the BIDS website they are quite open that they have been lobbying the council for years about a PSPO. But the council report does not make this clear. This is absolutely about pandering to what business apparently believes it needs - a ‘pre-consultation’ was carried out but only with businesses, certainly not with those most likely to be most affected, or with city centre residents.
The whole of the city centre is proposed for coverage (from the ring road on - plus station) despite many areas within this where no ASB has been reported. Again, govt guidance tells us that a PSPO must be proportionate and justified but it seems that can also just be ignored. And then there’s the problem of displacement - especially to areas just outside the boundary of the proposed area) as the article states.
I do think a PSPO is an absolute ‘done deal’ and we have another sham consultation on our hands. But I still hope people indicate objections where possible.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have an alternative vision? Instead of hyper-regulating our public spaces at the behest of purely commercial interests (including what is in many cases normal social behaviour - or behaviour 99.9% of us wouldn’t engage in anyway) and targeting/criminalising the most disadvantaged, we could say we embrace our public spaces as all of ours and as places we connect and meet in all our diversity, where we respect but also tolerate each other and our differences. And where things tip over and support agencies can’t help, expect the police to do their job (and certainly not a load of council-legitimised ‘enforcers’)
Every city in the UK has this problem. Austerity laid bare.
If i had no money or home i would beg and I would take spice - living on the streets is brutal. Let's not criminalise our most vulnerable.
Excellent article highlighting the issues and pros and cons. Shame I had just completed consultation before reading this
Excellent article highlighting the pros and cons and the difficult conditions for homeless charities trying to support vulnerable people.
You can complete it again...