Ceredigion councillors have unanimously agreed to extend public drinking restrictions in Aberystwyth, Cardigan, and Lampeter town centres for three years. The decision was made at a full council meeting on September 24, following a recommendation from the cabinet earlier in September.
Three public space protection orders (PSPOs) are currently in force across the county, covering the town centres of Aberystwyth, Cardigan, and Lampeter. These orders allow the prohibition of alcohol consumption in designated public spaces to tackle anti-social behaviour, making it an offence to ignore a police officer or authorised official's instruction to stop drinking or hand over alcohol.
Background and previous extensions
The three PSPOs were initially scheduled to lapse in October 2020 but were prolonged in 2020 and 2023. They are now due to expire in October. A report presented by cabinet member councillor Matthew Vaux stated that all three town councils and the seven local county councillors backed renewing the orders.
However, police indicated there was no substantial evidence of an ongoing requirement. The report noted: "Data provided by Dyfed-Powys Police showed that, during the preceding 12 months, they attended seven incidents in which street drinking was identified as a contributing factor."
Police evidence and council debate
The report added: "The Dyfed-Powys Police local commander advised that evidence of this nature would be central to any application to renew the orders and that the relatively low number of recorded incidents made it difficult to demonstrate that the restrictions remained necessary and proportionate."
At the September meeting, the leader of Ceredigion Council, Cllr Bryan Davies, attributed the success and the modest number of recent recorded incidents to "good policing," stating he supported continuing the orders. This view was shared by Lampeter county councillor Ann Bowen Morgan and Cardigan's Cllr Sian Maehreiln.
Aberystwyth Morfa a Glais councillor Alun Williams, a passionate advocate at earlier meetings, said every town councillor backed extending the schemes. He recalled: "We had a situation where drunk men were dominating the centre of Aberystwyth, not necessarily doing anything wrong, but creating a bordering on 'wild west' intimidating atmosphere; they were in control effectively and the police were powerless to do anything about it until they committed an offence."
Williams added: "Once the order was brought in the police could quickly nip the situation in the bud, the softly-softly approach." He suggested the approach may have resulted in fewer recorded incidents, stating: "Let's not throw away a policy that is working and has clear support."
The proposal to extend the scheme across all three towns received unanimous backing from members.
