I am glad that Keith Gudgin has highlighted the action of the councillors of Daventry District Council, (You must carry a poo bag) writes Martin Cox.
Just two thoughts. The legislation that allows the Council to make a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) is frightening wide. The Government recognised this by not allowing Parish Councils the power to make such Orders, Parish Councils previously having had the power to make only Dog Control Orders.
The need to prove
The key lies in the ability to make 'Requirements' part of the Order. The Requirement in this case being the need to prove that you have an adequate supply of poo bags, or 'other means. Very few people will dispute that dog mess is unpleasant, but so is spreading colds by sneezing.
No, I am not digressing, the same legislation would allow the Council to make a Public Space Protection Order with a requirement that anybody with a cold would have to show an adequate supply of tissues. This is, of course, taking it to the 'nth degree, but it is a warning of the degree to which we are becoming more and more criminalised for relatively minor things.
Adequate notices
The other thought relates to the guidance issued by the Government concerning adequate display of notices relating to the PSPO. Normally a PSPO would apply to a relatively small area, but, apart from the separate requirement for a small part of the Country Park, the main Order applies to the whole of the District Council area.
The report to the Council is a little lacking on detail in this respect, and I wonder if it has realised the large number of notices it will need to display to cover all the 'Public Spaces', bearing in mind that the definition of the latter is a lot wider than what is normally thought of as parks playing fields and the like.