Survey deadline looms on alcohol policy and protection orders

There’s just over two weeks left for people to take part in a survey on whether a licensing policy to prevent and legal orders to tackle anti-social behaviour should be renewed.

West Suffolk Council is calling for evidence for the renewal of its Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) areas, a licensing policy that covers Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket town centres.

And the council is also asking residents across the district for their views as to whether the Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) it has in place, should be renewed.

The consultation on both the CIA licensing policy and PSPOs opened on 9 June and will close on July 21, 2023.

Both the Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) areas in Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket will lapse if not renewed by the end of the year. They encourage applicants who are applying for a new premises license or longer licensing hours in a designated area, to address how they will ensure it doesn’t lead to increased issues of anti-social behaviour, crime and impact on public health.

While the policy has been in place in Newmarket since 2008 and Bury St Edmunds since 2014, a change in the law means that they can only be renewed if there’s evidence that they are effective. The survey asks for residents, businesses and other consultees to submit evidence for consideration.

While CIAs are about potentially placing limits on alcohol licensed premises in an area, they cannot be used to tackle existing issues of anti-social behaviour. But Public Space Protection Orders can. PSPOs provide councils and police with extra powers to tackle specific issues of anti-social behaviour that are harming a local community.

Orders are in place in parts of Brandon, Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill and Newmarket to prevent people drinking alcohol in the streets or other areas that aren’t licensed. There are also orders in place to ban anti-social use of motor vehicles in both Bury St Edmunds town centre and on Moreton Hall.

An order also bans begging in Bury St Edmunds town centre – the council works to accommodate people and get them the support that they need for mental health or addiction issues and begging can sometimes jeopardise that work especially if the money donated is spent on drink or drugs.

Instead, the council supports Bury Drop In’s Looking for Change campaign which allows people to donate by text – the money is then used to help people who have been homeless, had help and are ready to move on with their lives.

A PSPO requiring dog walkers to bag and bin their dog’s foul is also in place covering all public spaces in West Suffolk while there are also dog exclusion areas across West Suffolk (https://www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/community/pspo/pspo-dogs.cfm )which are again covered by a PSPO.

The council’s approach to dog walkers is to educate and encourage people to bag and bin dog faeces while also removing any excuses by working with partners who provide free bag dispensers.

People can take part in the CIA and PSPO consultation at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/WestSuffolkCouncilPSPO-CIA-consultation.

The consultation will close on July 21, 2023.