Begging, loitering and drinking in Sheffield city centre will soon become punishable by a fine of up to £1000 after the council voted to introduce a public spaces protection order (PSPO), despite concerns from councillors and charities.

The PSPO is designed to address anti-social behaviours, which also include drug taking or publicly urinating.

If someone breaches the order, police could then issue an on-the-spot fine of £100 which could increase to £1000 if taken to court.

Offenders could also be asked to leave the city centre for 24 hours.

The Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee debated the proposal on Monday, hearing several public questions from charities concerned that the PSPO will disproportionately target homeless and vulnerable people.

Alex Lumsden, the outreach manager for Ben’s Centre, a charity which works with people involved in alcohol and substance misuse, said that many of their service users are victims and perpetrators of anti-social behaviour in the city centre.

He said: “It seems clear that the proposed PSPO is designed to target this cohort.”

He said that there are a small group of Sheffield residents who beg on the high streets, sleep rough an don’t have reliable access to toilet facilities.

“Within this group, it is not an exaggeration to say that the vast majority have a mental and/or physical disability”, he added.

As part of the consultation process for the PSPO, the council has been in contact with over 1200 individuals and 77 organisations.

Tom Smith, director of customer experience and communities, told the committee that the PSPO is actually supportive in some respects as it will allow police and the council to better identify vulnerable people in the city centre, who they can then refer for further help.

Superintendent Paul Ferguson represented South Yorkshire Police at the meeting.

He assured councillors that the new measures were intended to protect Sheffield residents and that 90% of the police authorities in the country currently have at least one PSPO in place.

He said: “Behaviours of the few are having a huge impact on the majority and that’s where we want additional means to target that behaviour.

“The whole point of a PSPO is that our options currently are almost to ignore, or arrest.”

Councillor Marieanne Elliot was the only committee member to vote against the proposal.

She echoed the concerns raised by public questions that the equalities and diversity assessment for the PSPO wasn’t thorough enough.

Councillor Elliot said: “If we can’t consider the impact on people with those protected characteristics, then we can’t discharge our duty.”

The PSPO will come into effect in April 2025.