The order will come into force for three years in May, with anyone caught breaking the new rules, which also include letting off fireworks in restricted spaces, liable for a fixed penalty notice of £100 or fines of up to £1,000 if the case goes to court.
Haringey Council approved the public spaces protection order last December, but it was reviewed by the council’s overview and scrutiny committee on January 14 amid concerns it could penalise some homeless people.
The committee made three recommendations: to expand exemptions to include all rough sleepers, to check the council’s antisocial behaviour team co-ordinates with its homelessness outreach team, and not to further penalise public urination in the context of a severe shortage of public toilets.
Overview and scrutiny committee chair Cllr Matt White said members were “particularly struck” by advice from Jon Glackin, a former rough sleeper who works for homelessness group Streets Kitchen.
The order exempts verified homeless sleepers, but Mr Glackin pointed out the difficulties in getting them to engage with authorities to be verified, due to fears of deportation or being forced to return to an unsafe area.
He also warned that further punishing public urination before developing a toilet strategy was “putting the cart before the horse”.
Despite this, the council’s cabinet voted to confirm its original decision.
Cabinet member for housing and planning Cllr Sarah Williams said: “We understand that needs are complex and not everyone will want to share their details with a public body like the council, police, or home office.
“Through the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN), system, we can anonymise referrals removing a barrier to those who are undocumented or have reservations about sharing their data.”
Cllr Ajda Ovat, cabinet member for communities, said public urination where there are toilets “still occurs”, citing football games as a hotspot. She added new public toilets at Bruce Grove were due to open this year.
Cllr Ovat insisted the council practised a “joined up approach” over antisocial behaviour and urged the council to adopt the original decision.
She added: “The reason we brought this to cabinet is the council receives on average just over 700 ASB reports per month and over 65% reports dealt with by the team relate to misuse of public spaces.”
