Agenda item

To consider the current position in relation to enviro-crimes and the proposed action plan for tackling enviro-crimes.

106.1         Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 105-111, and the revised Appendix 1 - Enviro-Crime Action Plan, circulated separately, which updated Members on the Council’s current activity and planned future actions for dealing with enviro-crime.  Members were asked to consider the current position in respect of enviro-crime, particularly fly-tipping, and the actions being taken by the Environmental Health section to tackle the issue; and to consider the proposed action plan and approach to tackling enviro-crime within the borough and beyond.

106.2         The Head of Community Services explained that, in February 2017, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered a report regarding the Council’s approach to tackling enviro-crime within the borough and Members had asked for a further update to be presented as an action plan for the Committee.  Enviro-crime affected the borough substantially and, whilst the situation was not as bad as in some other places, it was a significant problem.  Work to date had been reactive and a pro-active plan had now been put together to ensure that Officers had the full toolkit of enforcement provisions to address enviro-crimes e.g. issuing fixed penalty notices, deploying CCTV cameras, working in partnership with the Police.  He wished to draw particular attention to section six of the action plan which related to communications and involving local residents which was important as they were the ones most affected.  The volunteer litter picker scheme was a great example of working with communities and he would like to see it extended to help with tackling enviro-crime. 

106.3         A Member noted that positive steps had been made recently with a number of prosecutions relating to fly-tipping and he stressed the importance of publicising these prosecutions.  The Head of Community Services provided assurance that this would form part of the Communication Strategy.  A Member expressed the view that, once fly-tips had been reported, they should be cleared as soon as possible as they could be very dangerous.  The Head of Community Services indicated that he was in complete agreement and he intended to introduce a performance indicator to ensure that, once they had been checked for evidence, fly-tips were removed as quickly as possible.  A Member queried how many CCTV cameras were available within the borough and was informed that the Council had access to three covert cameras.  In response to a query as to how they were monitored, Members were advised that the footage recorded on the cameras was downloaded and reviewed by Officers.  It was possible to bid to the Police and Crime Commissioner for additional cameras but it was resource intensive to deploy the cameras and get the footage back; there was smarter kit available which worked using 4G technology but obviously there was a cost associated with this. 

106.4         A Member indicated that there was a particular problem with abandoned vehicles in his area and he made reference to one vehicle which had been left for a number of days and had subsequently been set on fire.  He was of the view that they needed to be disposed of more quickly and should be a bigger priority to prevent vandalism of this nature.  The Head of Community Services recognised that abandoned vehicles were a problem, however, Officers were restricted to some extent by legislation.  He undertook to take this away as an action to see if anything further could be done.

106.5         A Member sought clarification as to what a Public Space Protection Order was for and was informed that it was a mechanism by which Fixed Penalty Notices could be issued for dog-fouling etc.  Information was currently being gathered on dog-fouling hotspots and, once this had been mapped and subject to public consultation, these areas could be declared.  It was not the simplest process but the Head of Community Services felt that it was necessary to ensure Officers were able to carry out their roles effectively.

106.6         A Member sought an update on the latest position with the Environmental Warden and was advised that this had been put to the Executive Committee at the end of 2016.  Since taking up his post, the Head of Community Services had been keen to consult Parish Councils to see if this was something they were still interested in.  The next stage would be to put in place the required governance arrangements and ensure that the person recruited to the role was able to use the powers which were available.  A Member questioned what would happen if Parish Councils did not want to contribute and was advised that they would not benefit from the Environmental Warden.  The Head of Community Services confirmed that, whilst the Council had no legal duty to provide this service to all parishes, this would not be the only way of tackling enviro-crime - the Environmental Health team would still have a responsibility and enforcement action would continue to be taken if the necessary evidence could be provided.  The Deputy Chief Executive explained that, as part of the review, it was intended to equip more Council Officers with the skills and tools to be able to deal with enviro-crimes, for example, Enforcement Officers who were already out in the field could potentially act as a deterrent if they could be identified and they may be able to provide valuable evidence to enable action to be taken against people committing these crimes.   A Member queried when the Environmental Warden role was expected to commence and was advised that it was anticipated that they would be in post by August, although it may be possible to recruit sooner if the person had the relevant experience and qualifications.

106.7         It was

RESOLVED          1.  That the current position in respect of enviro-crimes, particularly fly-tipping, and the actions being taken by the Environmental Health section to tackle the issue, be NOTED.

2.   That the proposed action plan and approach to tackling enviro-crimes within the borough and beyond be NOTED and a further update be provided to the Committee in six months time.