London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that he will draw up a charter governing the “rights and responsibilities” of POPS’ owners and users, the Guardian reports. Khan’s announcement follows a Guardian investigation that highlighted a hodgepodge of murky rules regulating such spaces, which included the site of City Hall itself — owned, as it turns out, by the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Kuwait (Next City covered that investigation here). Because private entities own the spaces, security guards can bar members of the public from holding protests or taking photos. 

Meanwhile, legislation that passed the New York City Council earlier this month aims to hold local landlords accountable for their POPS. The rules — part of a package authored by Council Member Ben Kallos — would require additional signage in all POPS areas detailing amenities and hours of operation, and include a website address where visitors could find out more information and register complaints. Landlords who don’t comply could face fines of between $4,000 and $10,000.

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