Wolverhampton City Council has approved a three-year ban on street drinking, begging, and dangerous riding of e-scooters and e-bikes in the city centre, aiming to address its 'unwelcoming' reputation. The Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) was approved by the Labour cabinet on Wednesday, April 23.
Police Powers to Ban Individuals
The order grants police the authority to ban anyone from the city centre for 24 hours if they are causing or believed likely to cause nuisance, disorder, harassment, alarm, or distress. The council stated that residents and businesses have repeatedly reported concerns over anti-social behaviour, including drug injection, street drinking, loitering, aggressive begging, and dangerous e-scooter and e-bike riding.
Area Covered by the PSPO
The PSPO covers the entire area within the city centre ring road, as well as Molineux Stadium, the neighbouring Asda supermarket, the railway station, St John's Retail Park, and Sainsbury's St Marks on Raglan Street.
Councillor Obaida Ahmed, cabinet member for health, wellbeing, and community, noted that previous efforts such as increased police patrols, dispersal powers, outreach services, and community walkabouts had 'not fully addressed the frequency or impact of the behaviours reported.' She said the three-year PSPO would provide 'clearer and consistent expectations for use of public spaces' and 'better support a more welcoming and inclusive city centre.'
Specific Prohibitions
The order bans street drinking, possession and consumption of drugs, loitering, aggressive begging, urinating and defecating in public, restricting or blocking doorways with fire exits, playing loud music in public spaces, and illegally riding, cycling, or using an e-bike or e-scooter.
Crime figures for the end of 2025 showed a more than 10% increase in incidents reported in the city centre compared to the previous year. Nearly three-quarters of businesses surveyed by the council said they witnessed anti-social behaviour daily, impacting sales. Reports of anti-social behaviour classified as 'nuisance' increased by 75% since 2023.
Previous PSPO at Bentley Bridge
The council recently approved a similar three-year PSPO for Bentley Bridge Retail Park, granting police powers to disperse groups of three or more causing or likely to cause nuisance, addressing persistent anti-social behaviour, violence, and shoplifting, particularly youth-related incidents.
