Bicester’s community wardens are set to retain powers to discourage antisocial behaviour in the town.
Published: Wednesday, 8th October 2025
On Tuesday, 7 October, Cherwell District Council’s executive committee approved the renewal of the Bicester Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for three years.
The order has been in place since 2022 and gives Cherwell’s community wardens and the police powers to tackle antisocial behaviour, including loitering, aggressive begging, and street drinking.
Councillor Rob Parkinson, Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities, said: “We know that antisocial behaviour has been a cause for concern in Bicester and our consultations show that residents and visitors support the use of measures to reduce it.
“The PSPO has encouraged higher standards of behaviour in the town over the past three years. It allows us to intervene and, if necessary, issue penalty notices for behaviour that makes others feel unsafe. It sends a clear message about the standards of behaviour that the people of Bicester expect in their town centre.”
In a recent survey, 92 per cent of respondents supported the council’s continued use of the PSPO to tackle antisocial behaviour.
The order covers Pioneer Square, Sheep Street, Garth Park and other town centre locations where antisocial behaviour has been reported.
The PSPO allows officers to issue fixed penalty notices for the restricted behaviours. It also enables them to require drinkers to surrender alcohol if continuing to consume it would cause nuisance or annoyance to others.