Havering Council Seeks Borough-Wide Crime Powers to Tackle Antisocial Behaviour Havering 2026

Key Points

• Havering Council has launched a public consultation on proposals to introduce a borough-wide Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).
• The measures would grant Metropolitan Police officers and authorised council staff extended powers to issue £100 on-the-spot fines.
• Targeted activities include aggressive begging, public alcohol consumption, busking, duck feeding, face coverings, and groups gathering in public spaces.
• The proposed initiative builds directly upon an existing PSPO currently enforced in Romford town centre.
• Civil liberties campaigners have strongly criticised the plans, warning that they risk criminalising everyday public activities and disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.
• Neighbouring authorities, including Haringey Council, have previously re-evaluated similar borough-wide orders over concerns regarding impact on marginalised groups.

Havering (East London Times) September 8, 2026 – An east London local authority has initiated a public consultation on ambitious plans to introduce a borough-wide Public Spaces Protection Order that would criminalise various forms of antisocial behaviour, including public alcohol consumption and aggressive begging, across the entire area. Havering Council is seeking to expand its regulatory powers to equip Metropolitan Police officers and council enforcement staff with the ability to issue fixed penalty notices to individuals violating public space rules. The proposed measures represent a significant scaling up of existing local enforcement frameworks, moving from targeted town-centre enforcement to a blanket policy covering every ward within the borough.

Why Is Havering Council Proposing a Borough-Wide PSPO?

The local authority, currently under Reform UK leadership, aims to extend powers originally established under the Romford town centre PSPO to cover the entirety of Havering. Under the current enforcement framework in Romford, police constables and designated council officers hold the authority to issue on-the-spot fines of £100 to individuals engaged in designated antisocial activities.

According to local council representatives, extending these measures borough-wide is intended to provide law enforcement and community safety teams with consistent tools to address public nuisance, maintain order, and enhance public safety across all neighbourhoods. By standardising these enforcement powers, local officials argue that officers will be better equipped to respond swiftly to complaints regarding disruptive conduct in parks, high streets, and residential zones.

What Do Rights Groups and Campaigners Say About the Proposal?

The prospective expansion has drawn immediate criticism from civil liberties organisations, who express deep concern regarding the scope and potential consequences of the order. The Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life has formally voiced opposition to the local authority’s plans, characterizing the proposed order as exceptionally broad and punitive.

A spokesperson for the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life stated that “this is one of the broadest PSPOs we’ve seen,” noting that the prospective regulation would drastically alter how shared public areas are monitored and regulated. The spokesperson added that “a borough-wide order would let officers fine people for drinking a can in the park, busking, feeding the ducks, covering their face, or gathering in a group of two or more.”

Campaigners further argue that the implementation of blanket restrictions fundamentally penalises routine public activities. The spokesperson for the campaign emphasized that “these orders criminalise everyday life in the shared spaces we all use, and they fall hardest on the people who rely on those spaces most – particularly young or homeless people.”

How Have Other London Boroughs Handled Similar Regulations?

Havering is not the first London authority to consider or implement broad public space controls, though previous implementations elsewhere in the capital have met with operational and ethical challenges.

In January, Haringey Council, which previously instituted a borough-wide PSPO, announced that it would reconsider its enforcement strategy. The local authority acknowledged that the ongoing operation of a blanket order was likely to cause a “significant risk of harm” to “marginalised” individuals within the community. The re-evaluation in Haringey highlighted growing debate among local government leaders regarding the balance between public order enforcement and the protection of vulnerable populations.

What Is the Background to the Expansion of Public Spaces Protection Orders?

Public Spaces Protection Orders were introduced across England and Wales under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Designed to replace earlier measures such as Designated Public Place Orders and Gating Orders, PSPOs allow local councils to prohibit specific activities or require clear behaviors within a defined geographic area. To legally implement a PSPO, an authority must demonstrate that the targeted behaviour has a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality, and that the conduct is persistent or unreasonable in nature.

Initially, councils predominantly applied PSPOs to specific, high-density locations experiencing localized disorder, such as commercial town centres, public transit hubs, or specific parks. Over recent years, however, a growing number of municipalities have moved toward borough-wide designations. This shift has drawn increased scrutiny from legal experts, civil rights advocates, and community groups, who argue that applying sweeping prohibitions across large geographical areas dilutes the legal requirement for localized evidence and risks over-criminalising low-level public behaviors.

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What Is the Prediction for How This Development Will Affect the Local Community?

If Havering Council proceeds with the full implementation of the borough-wide PSPO following the consultation process, the decision will significantly alter public space dynamics for several key stakeholder groups across the borough:

• Local Residents and Business Owners: Supporters of the measure anticipate an increase in visible enforcement, which could lead to a reduction in street drinking, aggressive begging, and general public nuisance. Commercial high streets and residential neighbourhoods may see a higher presence of enforcement officers, potentially increasing perceived safety and public order.
• Young People and Public Space Users: Everyday users of parks and communal areas could find routine social activities subjected to heightened monitoring. Gathering in small groups, street performances, or informal community activities may face increased scrutiny, leading to potential friction between residents and enforcement personnel.
• Homeless and Marginalised Populations: Individuals relying on public spaces for shelter or subsistence are likely to be disproportionately impacted by restrictions on begging and public lingering. As observed in other jurisdictions, fixed penalty notices imposed on low-income or unhoused individuals often lead to unmanageable financial fines, potentially driving vulnerable people into greater marginalisation or displacing them into neighbouring boroughs without public space orders.