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Environmental Enforcement in Flintshire

Published: 12/07/2018

When it next meets on Tuesday, 17 July, Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to support the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recommendation that the current trial arrangement with Kingdom for the provision of low level environment enforcement should end on 31 December 2018. Cabinet members will also be asked to agree that they will review a sustainable delivery model for the service prior to the end of the current arrangement in a further report which will be received in September. Littering is a problem that faces every town and community in the country and the cost of street and open space litter collections in Flintshire prior to January 2016 was in excess of £300k per year. In addition to the cost and the visual impact littering has on the environment, there is growing evidence to suggest that it has a much far reaching impact on the local economy and increases other forms of anti-social behaviour. Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Countryside, Councillor Carolyn Thomas, said: “Despite the fact that the vast majority of fixed penalty notices have been paid and uncontested, there has been a number of high profile cases recently where the circumstances behind the issuing of tickets has been contentious. These small number of cases are undermining the reputation of both the company and the Authority and the arrangement is being seen as ‘heavy handed’ by many people. A number of Town Councils have also requested that Kingdom are not employed on enforcement activities in their own areas.” It is recommended that the current arrangement with Kingdom is not extended and that Council officers once again review the options available for future sustainable service delivery models. This will include a formal contract and a regional or sub-regional delivery model with the potential for a ‘Teckal’ type organisation which would provide the service on behalf of the Council or the wider region. During the interim notice period the zero tolerance approach to enforcement will also be reviewed.