Punt Touting - Public Spaces Protection Order 2026

Open for comments from Wednesday 3 June to Sunday 12 July 2026.

A punt tour along the world-famous Cambridge College ‘Backs’ is one of the pleasures of a visit to Cambridge.

In 2016, we received hundreds of complaints about aggressive punt touting negatively impacting people’s experience when in the city centre. As a result, we created a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which restricts where punt tours can be sold from.

We can make PSPOs under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

PSPOs were created to deal with problems in public spaces which have a negative impact on the local community’s quality of life. A PSPO does this by stopping certain activities in the area it covers.

If someone refuses to stop doing the activity covered by the PSPO, it is a criminal offence, and they will be issued with a fixed penalty notice of up to £100 or prosecuted with a maximum fine £1000.

The Public Spaces Protection Order (Touting) 2023 prohibits verbally touting, advertising, soliciting for customer or otherwise touting for a punt tour, the hire or use of punt boats (or similar craft) on the River Cam.

This included touting for walking tours which include or involve a punt tour, the hire or use of punt boats (or similar craft) on the River Cam.

The PSPO prohibits touting in certain parts of the city centre, they are shown in red on this map and are referred to as the Restricted Areas.

Punt operators are still allowed to sell punt tours from the 6 authorised locations which are also shown on the image above. These are:

• La Mimosa, on the corner of Jesus Green
• Quayside
• Trinity College, inside the college grounds
• The Mill Pond, on Silver Street
• Mill Lane
• The Granta mill pond, near Sheeps Green

This PSPO has been renewed twice since 2016 but is due to end on Sunday 27 September 2026. Before this date, we need to decide whether to renew the order, change it or allow it to end.

To renew the PSPO we need to show that there is significant evidence that verbal punt touting within the Restricted Areas will get worse without the PSPO.

To change (or vary) the PSPO we need to show that there is evidence to change the spaces that are covered by the PSPO or that there is evidence to stop people from doing other behaviours that have a negative impact on the local community.

On 25 May 2018, we were granted an Injunction against named and unnamed parties from, essentially, engaging in unlicensed commercial punt operations, including touting, on council-owned land.

The table below shows the impact of both the PSPO and the Injunction on touting complaints since available records (2006). The numbers suggests that the Injunction caused the greatest reduction in the number of touting complaints than the PSPO.

Have your say

We want your opinions on this and any evidence you may have about punt touting in the Restricted Areas.

Select the 'Take the survey' button to have your say.

A hard copy version of this survey can be downloaded here:

• Punt Touting - Public Spaces Protection Order 2026

If you are completing a hard copy survey, please return it to our Customer Service Centre in person or via post at the following address:

Communications and Engagement Team, Customer Service Centre, Mandela House, 4 Regent Street, Cambridge, CB2 1BY

The survey closes on Sunday 12 July 2026. Any responses received after this date will not be considered.

Next steps

The results of this consultation will inform a committee report, which will go to Cabinet on Wednesday 23 September 2026.