'Our city needs to be more welcoming' says residents in survey about safety in Wolverhampton city centre

Wolverhampton city centre has been branded as ‘unwelcoming, poorly controlled, and in decline', with 78 per cent of residents saying they don’t feel safe at night.

These are the findings of a new report which will be presented to the council’s ruling cabinet next week.

Senior councillors will be asked to approve new powers for police officers and council officials to tackle public drinking, illegal use of scooters and e-bikes, and aggressive begging after it was revealed that anti-social behaviour in the centre had increased by 75 per cent.

They will be asked to approve a new, extended Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which will give police and council officials the power to ban individuals from the city if they are found to be causing a nuisance.

The report found overwhelming support for tougher measures among the 372 people who responded to a consultation.

Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of Wolverhampton Council, said the council was working tirelessly to make people feel safer, with improved lighting, extra CCTV cameras and a new ‘safe space’ in Queen Square where people could go if they felt unwell or unsafe.

“We try to make it as welcoming as possible, we are working with the police, we are improving the lighting, we are doing the street furniture upgrade and pedestrianisation to encourage more people to come into town,” he said.

The study, which will be presented by Councillor Obaida Ahmed, cabinet member for community, said 74 per cent of respondents had personally witnessed or experienced anti-social behaviour in the city centre.

It also said that 78 per cent said they felt unsafe when visiting the city centre at night.

It also said out of 25 city-centre businesses featured in the report, 18 said they experienced anti-social behaviour on a daily basis.

“General comments were people consistently report feeling unsafe, intimidated, and unwilling to visit Wolverhampton city centre due to widespread anti-social behaviour,” the report said.

“Many avoid the area, especially at night or when with children, and instead choose to shop and socialise in other towns.

“The city centre is described as unwelcoming, poorly controlled, and in decline, with issues like aggressive behaviour, drug use, begging, and dangerous e‑bike and scooter-riding contributing to a sense of disorder.”

It said two-thirds of respondents had observed begging and loitering, and 61 per cent had observed public drinking as well as intimidation and aggression.

The report said there had been a 75 per cent increase in reports of ‘anti-social behaviour causing a nuisance’ since 2023, and an 11 per cent rise in reported crime in the city.

If implemented, the order would give police and council officials the power to order anybody found to be drinking, drug-taking, loitering or begging in the street to leave the area immediately, and ban them from returning to the area for 24 hours. The powers can also be used to deal with anybody playing amplified music without permission, illegally riding electric bikes or scooters, or urinating or defecating in the streets.

Breaches of the orders will initially be dealt with by means of warning, but anybody found to be in breach on three occasions will be issued with a fixed-penalty fine.

The report found that 96.2 per cent of respondents indicated they supported the proposals .

It will build on earlier order, which came into forced in July 2024, which gave the police the powers to order people to remove face coverings, and order groups of three or more people to leave the area.

A separate, three-year order came into force at Bentley Bridge retail park in March this year.

The report will be considered at a meeting of the cabinet on Wednesday next week (April 23).