Issue - meetings

Litter Enforcement Update

Meeting: 18/10/2016 - Communities, Housing and Environment Committee (Item 83)

83 Report of the Head of Public Realm and Environment - Litter Enforcement Update pdf icon PDF 112 KB

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Public Realm and Environment relating to the Litter Enforcement Update.

 

Members noted that the service had been outsourced to a private contractor since 2010.  This was due to the number of cigarette ends being littered in the Town Centre which had impacted on the level of street cleansing resource required.  It had also coincided with the Smoke Free Legislation which came into force in 2007.

 

The Head of Environment and Public Realm advised that the main benefits of outsourcing the service was that the financial risk passed to the Contractor not the Council.  In addition the value of the fixed penalty notices were split between the contractor and the Council.  Therefore if no fixed penalty notices are issued, there is no cost to the Council.

 

It was noted that cigarette ends were a major contributor to littering and is a criminal offence.  Members were advised that on average 73.5% of penalty charge notices are paid within the required time. 

 

There was a lot of anecdotal evidence from the cleansing team and local stakeholders to suggest that the street littering enforcement had had a positive impact on the town.  By outsourcing this service, it had allowed officers to deal with other campaigns such as dog mess and noise nuisance.

 

In relation to the three issues that had recently attracted media attention, a penalty charge notice had not been issued.  The Officers have since undergone an extensive retraining programme. 

 

In response to Members questions, the Head of Environment and Public Realm advised that:-

 

·  In the event that a person refuses to give their name and address, the Police are called and their timely response had been appreciated.

·  Where a person throws litter from a moving car, unless there is a clear description of the person committing the offence and the registration number is given of the car, it can be very difficult to follow this up.

·  When the current contract comes up for renewal, a review would be undertaken before a decision is made.

 

RESOLVED:  That the contents of the report are noted and the rationale for the use of a private contractor for litter enforcement.

 

Voting:  For:  9  Against:  0  Abstentions:  0