After a hugely positive public consultation, with 89% of respondents in favour of the changes we put forward, we're pleased to say that the following changes are now in force to help us prevent and punish anti-social behaviour:
Fines for public urination and defecation
Fines and the power to move people on if they're a large group blocking the pavement
Fines and the power to move people on for anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse, including sexualised insults
In each case, people will be given the chance to stop voluntarily first.
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These prohibitions can be enforced both by police and council anti-social behaviour officers.
This means, for the first time, we can actually tackle the problem behaviour caused by the Otley Run. This will also create the case for more resources to go into the area, for example through 'anti social behaviour action days'. The Otley Run is already patrolled by police officers, now they have more power to act.
These changes are a result of a long process of gathering evidence from local residents and businesses, and working with officers to find the solutions available to us. Thank you for your help.
There is now a working group of police, councillors, and council workers who review the Otley Run on a regular basis. Together we will keep an eye on these changes and adapt them if needed.
