A borough-wide public spaces protection order (PSPO) in place across Ealing will be extended for another three years, after a consultation showed more than 90% of respondents supported the move.

The original PSPO in Ealing introduced in 2019 was designed to combat persistent issues of anti-social behaviour in the borough known to the council, police and other local service providers.

Ahead of the expiry of this original PSPO this month, Ealing Council hosted an online consultation process inviting residents to help determine whether the PSPO should be renewed.

More than 800 residents and businesses took part in the survey, which asked respondents for their opinions on the scale of anti-social behaviour in the borough, the types of behaviours witnessed and what detrimental impact they have on a person's quality of life in Ealing. 

It also asked specific questions about PSPO requirements and prohibitions that affect Ealing's town centres: Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Southall and West Ealing.

Littering, aggressive begging, use of psychoactive substances and anti-social outdoor drinking are among the things covered by the order – which will now be in place until September 2025, when it will be reviewed again.

Council leader Peter Mason said: "The people of Ealing have told us they still regard anti-social behaviour as a problem. We've listened and acted, by renewing the order to redouble our efforts to tackle criminal and anti-social behaviour across the borough."

Councillor Aysha Raza, Ealing Council's cabinet member for tackling inequality, said: "This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated in our community. Residents are rightly proud of our borough and our environment, and want to maintain it."

Superintendent Anthony Bennett of the Metropolitan Police said: "We see it as forming a key part of our violence reduction strategy in Ealing. Agreeing [the order] for the whole of the borough will help address displacement. We know that if only part of a location is covered, those looking to drink alcohol in open spaces will just move to another area."

The decision to renew the PSPO was taken at a meeting of the council's decision-making cabinet. You can read the full cabinet paper on the council's website.

What does a PSPO do?

A PSPO gives the police and the council an additional means to tackle specified behaviours that are persistent and unacceptable and is used alongside existing powers and ongoing partnership work with other agencies and the community.

Behaviours which are carried out in a public space and have a detrimental impact of the quality of life to people may include, but is not limited to, street drinking, fly-tipping, littering, verbal abuse, obstructing the highway, illegal drug use, urinating or, spitting.

If the PSPO is implemented, it will be enforced by police and council officers. The penalty for breaking a PSPO is a fine of £100. If the fine is not paid, court proceedings may be started, which will increase the fine to up to £1,000.