PROPOSALS to tackle drunken anti-social behaviour in York city centre and an inner city suburb are going out to public consultation.

City of York Council is seeking to impose Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) in the area within the City Walls and also the Union Terrace car park, Union Terrace, Clarence Street and Clarence Gardens area.

The orders would give police and council officers discretionary powers to require people to stop drinking in the street and confiscate alcohol if they’re behaving anti-socially.

They could also allow groups of three or more people who are behaving anti-socially to be moved on.

The consultation will establish if residents want the orders to be introduced, where the boundaries covered should be and take into account any feedback over details.

Cllr Denise Craghill, executive member for safer communities, said the authority wanted to minimise alcohol-related crime and nuisance for everyone living, working in or visiting the generally very safe and welcoming city centre.

"We can address these unacceptable anti-social challenges using a range of measures which include PSPOs and which are delivered through a multi-agency approach," she said.

“I urge all businesses and residents to please contribute to these new consultations about introducing measures to help officers address alcohol-related crime and nuisance in and near the city centre.”

Chief Inspector Fiona Willey, of North Yorkshire Police, said that during the summer months, the city centre usually saw an increase in anti-social behaviour associated with alcohol.

"We are working closely with the council and partner agencies on problem solving strategies to try and make the city centre a safer and more enjoyable experience for all," she said,

“The public space protection order provides us with the opportunity to intervene early by confiscating alcohol and if required moving people on. This then prevents issues from escalating. I would encourage residents and businesses to take part in the consultation.”

However, Guildhall ward councillor Fiona Fitzpatrick has previously criticised the proposed clampdown in the Union Terrace and Clarence Street area, saying it would not help vulnerable people who needed support with their addictions.

She said it could result in criminalising people who needed help, as well as simply shifting the problem elsewhere. “Residents [in the Groves] made it quite clear during a recent meeting that they did not support this option at all as they feel it’s going to push the problem into the streets where they live."

The closing date for the consultations is Monday April 18.

If introduced, these new proposed orders would last for up to three years with provision for extensions up to three years. They will form part of multi-agency problem-solving plans aimed at tackling all aspects of anti-social behaviour in these areas.