West London Church Overturns Council Ban on Street Preaching

The Kingsborough Centre, a Pentecostal church in west London, successfully overturned a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) imposed by the London Borough of Hillingdon in 2023 that banned street preaching with amplification, distribution of Christian leaflets, and displaying Bible verses in Uxbridge town centre. The church discovered the restrictions during a prayer meeting and described the rules as oppressive and criminalizing their peaceful outreach efforts, which included handing out leaflets and holding signs with messages such as "Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings." Police had warned worshippers that their activities breached the PSPO and instructed them to hide their signs, leading the church to challenge the order legally, arguing it violated the European Convention on Human Rights and was not properly consulted upon. Following the judicial review application, the council backed down, amending the PSPO to exempt religious and political leafleting and considering further removal of amplification and display prohibitions. Church leaders emphasized that street evangelism is essential to their faith and expressed hope that their legal victory would set a precedent supporting Christian freedoms and free expression across the UK. The Christian Legal Centre supported the church throughout the case, highlighting the importance of protecting peaceful religious expression against measures originally intended to tackle anti-social behavior.