Use of PSPOs and CPNs
Case reference FOI2025/01591
Received 12 August 2025
Published 21 August 2025
Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting the following information relating to use of PSPO’s and CPN powers in your local area between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2024:
1. Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs):
a. How many PSPOs are currently active in your local area?
b. How many were introduced in each year 2020–2024?
c. If available, what behaviours do these PSPOs restrict (e.g. busking, begging, loitering, amplification, rough sleeping/sleeping in vehicle, feeding birds/animals, car cruising, making noise, swearing or foul/abusive language, gatherings outside abortion clinics)
d. How many Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for breach of PSPOs in this period?
e. If available, disaggregated data on race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and disability status for PSPOs issued in this period.
2. Community Protection Notices (CPNs):
a. How many CPN warnings and full CPNs were issued annually between 2020–2024?
b. If available, what were the most common reasons for issuing CPNs (e.g. bird feeding, barking dogs, begging, shouting/swearing, messy/overgrown gardens, neighbour disputes, repairing vehicles on the road, loitering, bonfires, breach of PSPO, drug use, sex work)
c. How many breaches of CPNs resulted in prosecution or further enforcement?
d. If available, disaggregated data on race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and disability status for CPNs issued in this period.
If possible, please also briefly outline how this data is typically stored and retained (e.g. database system, format, retention period).
Response
1. Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs):
a. How many PSPOs are currently active in your local area?
b. How many were introduced in each year 2020–2024?
c. If available, what behaviours do these PSPOs restrict (e.g. busking, begging, loitering, amplification, rough sleeping/sleeping in vehicle, feeding birds/animals, car cruising, making noise, swearing or foul/abusive language, gatherings outside abortion clinics)
In response to Questions 1a – c, this information is publicly available on the council’s website and can be viewed via the following link:
Safer stronger communities – Herefordshire Council
As such we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is available to you via other means. Please take this letter as a refusal notice under S17 of the Act for this part of your request.
d. How many Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for breach of PSPOs in this period?
4
e. If available, disaggregated data on race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and disability status for PSPOs issued in this period.
This information is not recorded.
2. Community Protection Notices (CPNs):
a. How many CPN warnings and full CPNs were issued annually between 2020–2024?
CPN warnings:
2020 – 15
2021 – 14
2022 – 19
2023 – 19
2024 – 7
Full CPNs:
2020 – 7
2021 – 2
2022 – 3
2023 – 2
2024 – 2
b. If available, what were the most common reasons for issuing CPNs (e.g. bird feeding, barking dogs, begging, shouting/swearing, messy/overgrown gardens, neighbour disputes, repairing vehicles on the road, loitering, bonfires, breach of PSPO, drug use, sex work)
ASB (fires), duty of care (waste), littering, noisy neighbours.
c. How many breaches of CPNs resulted in prosecution or further enforcement?
2020 – 1
2021 – 1
2022 – 0
2023 – 1
2024 – 2
d. If available, disaggregated data on race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and disability status for CPNs issued in this period.
This information is not recorded.
If possible, please also briefly outline how this data is typically stored and retained (e.g. database system, format, retention period).
Database
Retention periods: service request 6 years and prosecution / FPN’s / warnings – 7 years.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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