Woman vows to fight 'political' camping table fine

A woman has vowed to fight a fine she was given for setting up a table in Leicester city centre while campaigning against city council cuts.

Heather Rawling was given a £100 penalty under new rules to prevent anti-social behaviour on Saturday 31 May.

The 72-year-old, from Leicester, said she believed the fine had been issued to prevent political campaigning and she would rather go to court than pay.

The council said its new public spaces protection order (PSPO) introduced in April does not restrict free speech and that Mrs Rawling had been fined for putting an unauthorised structure on the highway.

Mrs Rawling, a member of the Socialist Party, said she was not causing a nuisance or blocking the highway.

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

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

"I don't think we were in anybody's way. There's plenty of space. We weren't being a nuisance.

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

"It was all very amicable. The warden asked me to take it down. I said I would not and he issued a fine.

"I'm not going to pay it on principle, and if I have to go to court, I will."

Mrs Rawling said she was opposing cuts to public services at the city council, including potential closures of community centres, and public sector job losses.

The council said the penalty for breaching a PSPO could rise to £1,000 if the matter goes to court for prosecution.

Campaigners previously wrote to Leicester's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby seeking assurances they are exempt from the PSPO.

A number of groups including unions and political parties said they feared the order could "constitute an unjustified limit on their democratic rights" as the ban also includes "unauthorised structures" such as banners, stalls and tables.

Soulsby told 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 said: "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 groups have been respectful of this so far and, as a result, the environment in the city centre is noticeably improved."

"This group had put up a table, in breach of the public spaces protection order (PSPO) that covers the city 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 fine was issued."

The council said three fixed penalty notices were issued in May under the new PSPO rules - all relating to unauthorised use of unauthorised structures on the highway.

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