Agenda item

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the Executive.

Please note that our registration deadlines are set as two working days before the meeting, in order to facilitate the management of public participation at our meetings. The deadline for registering at this meeting is 5.00pm on Friday, 28 November 2025.     

To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill in an online registration form. If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting, please contact Democratic Services. Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

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It was reported that there had been three registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Ben French representing the York Green Party spoke in relation to agenda item 7, Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) covering Union Terrace, Clarence Gardens and The Groves. He welcomed the decision to extend the PSPO in the Groves, Clarence Street, and Union Terrace. There were good existing conditions to be extended, banning the gatherings of three or more where there was anti-social behaviour and drinking where it caused anti-social behaviour and intimidation. Having regularly heard from lots of residents, anti-social behaviour, crime and violent incidents were some of the most common things that residents brought up. It was important that action was being taken. However, it was the additional proposals for the city centre that raised some concern, and additional work was needed to make these a success. Proposals like banning loitering was vague, banning begging, causing any anti-social behaviour, 24-hour removals and fully banning alcohol. These were some concerning proposals that needed more work. If not done properly then they would not make York any safer and would be counterproductive in the long run. Executive needed to ask whether it was a human rights city for the nice branding or to do the hard work with these proposals to make them an effective reality. There were serious threats to human rights legislation without undertaking the necessary work. There was a need to see consultation with stakeholders across the board.

Flick Williams spoke in relation to the sustainable travel corridor and public sector equality duty. In relation to the sustainable travel corridor, it was made clear that if formally adopted without exemption for blue badge holders and locally licensed hackney carriages and private hire vehicles through the bus gates then there would be legal proceedings against City of York Council.

Jo Coles spoke in her capacity as Deputy Mayor for Police and Crime of York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, particularly in relation to agenda item 8, Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) within the City Walls. The Community Safety Partnership, officers and executive member were thanked for the work that they had put into this. That making the city welcoming and inclusivesimultaneously was a challenge. The council’s approach was welcomed. The report included the number of anti-social behaviourincidents that took place in the firstseven months of this year. 573 incidentsin the first seven months of this yearin the city centre. That was the underlying reason why this PSPO was so important. An important aspect about the PSPO was partnership working. It was not just about one agency or another. It was about ensuring that the police had another tool to enable them to make the city centre more welcoming and to ensure that other agencies were getting the support they needed to support some of the most vulnerable people in the city centre. It was welcomed thatthe council was looking at how that could be done in the most inclusive way. As a result of the uplift in neighbourhood policing in York there was now an additional 12 police constables and nine PCSOs in the city, which was a welcome increase in policing to help support businesses and local residents, as well as visitors, making sure that they felt safe when they were here. There was a need to balance the need for compassion and those who were struggling with the need for residents and visitors and businesses to feel that they could work and operate in the city centre without fear of intimidation. But equally, there was a need to make sure that the homeless community, people suffering and needing help with substance misuse were able to access the right referral pathways and support. The additional consultation period that was taking place was welcomed and provided an opportunity to makesure it was done properly and that the police received the support they needed.