Leicester lady vows to combat ‘political’ tenting desk nice

A girl has vowed to combat a nice she was once given for putting in place a desk in Leicester town centre whilst campaigning towards town council cuts.

Heather Rawling was once given a £100 penalty underneath new laws to forestall anti-social behaviour on Saturday 31 May.

The 72-year-old, from Leicester, stated she believed the nice were issued to forestall political campaigning and he or she would moderately cross to courtroom than pay.

The council stated its new public areas coverage order (PSPO) presented in April does now not limit loose speech and that Mrs Rawling were fined for placing an unauthorised construction at the freeway.

Mrs Rawling, a member of the Socialist Party, stated she was once now not inflicting a nuisance or blocking off the freeway.

“I accept the PSPO can be needed to deal with people on e-bikes, noisy speakers or street drinkers,” she stated.

“But this was a small camping table which we had for leaflets and so people could sign a petition.

“I don’t believe we had been in anyone’s method. There’s various area. We were not being a nuisance.

“I think this was political – we were asked to take it down because we were campaigning about council cuts.

“It was once all very amicable. The warden requested me to take it down. I stated I might now not and he issued a nice.

“I’m not going to pay it on principle, and if I have to go to court, I will.”

Mrs Rawling stated she was once opposing cuts to public services and products on the town council, together with doable closures of neighborhood centres, and public sector task losses.

The council stated the penalty for breaching a PSPO may upward push to £1,000 if the subject is going to courtroom for prosecution.

Campaigners up to now wrote to Leicester’s mayor Sir Peter Soulsby in search of assurances they’re exempt from the PSPO.

Quite a lot of teams together with unions and political events stated they feared the order may “constitute an unjustified limit on their democratic rights” because the ban additionally comprises “unauthorised structures” akin to banners, stalls and tables.

Soulsby informed the BBC: “There’s absolutely nothing in the PSPO that prevents people from going out and trying to persuade people on political matters – if they do it without a table or gazebo or loud speaker.”

A council spokesperson stated: “The PSPO does not restrict freedom of speech, but it does restrict the nuisance of amplifiers, gazebos and other structures that more than 1,100 respondents to our consultation told us negatively impacted their experience of Leicester city centre.

“Many teams were respectful of this thus far and, consequently, the surroundings within the town centre is noticeably stepped forward.”

“This workforce had submit a desk, in breach of the general public areas coverage order (PSPO) that covers town centre.

“One of our wardens asked them to take down the table and advised that if they didn’t, they would be issued with a fixed penalty notice.

“They refused to take it down and so a nice was once issued.”

The council stated 3 fastened penalty notices had been issued in May underneath the brand new PSPO laws – all in relation to unauthorised use of unauthorised buildings at the freeway.