LIVERPOOL City Council is stepping up efforts to tackle fly-tipping, littering, and dog fouling with the introduction of higher Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) and an expanded enforcement team.
Cabinet will be asked to consider proposals next week that will see increased fines and a 3-year contract with an external enforcement team to help crack down on environmental crimes.
Under the proposed changes, littering FPNs will rise from £80 to £150, penalties for breaching the City’s dog fouling Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) will rise from £80 to £100, while graffiti and fly-posting will increase from £100 to £200. Fly-posting is when unauthorised posters and stickers are put up in public places, including on phone boxes, bus stops, and street lights.
Fly-tipping penalties, which are currently set at £400, will be graded by severity:-
- Level 1 (1-3 bags of domestic waste) - £500
- Level 2 (4+ bags of domestic waste) - £750
- Level 3 (commercial/business waste or domestic waste equal to a light commercial van) - £1000
Residents who fail to verify that private waste removal companies are properly registered will continue to face a £400 penalty for breaching their household duty of care. Anyone hiring a private waste removal company can check whether they are licensed to handle rubbish on the government website.
Cabinet members will also be asked to approve a contractor to provide external environmental enforcement for the next three years. While a company has been recommended, they are unable to be named at the present time for commercial reasons.
The organisation will support the Council’s existing team of environmental enforcement officers, who have been in post since last summer. As well as bringing in additional support from an external provider, the internal team will double in size to help further educate communities on correct waste management and carry out even more investigations into environmental crimes.
These changes are in response to recent resident surveys, where littering, dog fouling, and fly-tipping were highlighted as top concerns.
Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene said:- “Residents have told us that tackling environmental offences must be a priority, and we are committed to taking action. Fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling are a blight on our city and there’s no excuse for ruining our streets. These tougher penalties send a strong message that it will not be tolerated. Liverpool is a fantastic city that we should be proud to call home, and we all need to do our part in looking after it.”
In a 12-month period, the Council received 16,683 requests to remove fly-tipping, including over 3,500 black bags, and 3,000 pieces of furniture. Responding to these requests costs £1.5m annually, which could be reduced if waste were managed responsibly.
Thanks to increased investment in street cleaning and grounds maintenance in the past 2 years, resident enquiries around litter in the City have fallen by 25%.
