Littering, fly-tipping, and not picking up dog poo to be cracked down on across West Northamptonshire

Fresh enforcement for environmental crimes, including littering, fly-tipping, and not picking up dog poo, has been welcomed by the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) cabinet.

WNC is now searching for a new contract to tackle such acts on behalf of the council. The enforcement team will now stretch across the whole of West Northants providing “consistent” action, as opposed to the previous operation which only covers Northampton.

Fixed penalty notices (FPNs) can be issued by officers employed through the contract. Fines range from £150 to £1,000 depending on the crime and the severity of the acts.

Enforcement officers can hand out fines for a wide range of offences including:

• spitting
• littering
• dog fouling
• fly-tipping

The current environmental enforcement contract comes to an end in March 2024 and will need to be reinstated by the council. An external contractor has been employed since 2017 and in the last 12 months has issued 1,950 FPNs on behalf of the council, within the Northampton Borough area only.

The council report wrote: “The Neighbourhood Wardens currently carry out a community focussed role, and enforcement is just one part of their duties, meaning the impact of enforcement for the lower-level environmental crimes can be diluted.

“The number of offences able to be dealt with through enforcement would reduce significantly if the service remained in-house only.”

The value of the proposed environmental enforcement contract is anticipated to be in the region of £750,000, however WNC has said that outsourcing the work is more “cost-effective” than providing officers in-house. Income from the FPNs would be used to fund the service and a proportion of the surplus income would be paid to WNC each quarter.

Cllr David Smith, cabinet member for community safety, engagement and regulatory services, said: “The FPNs are an effective means of dealing with environmental crime. This is a cost-effective method complementing the work already carried out by the team of in-house wardens.

“With these patrols going across the whole west we will have a much better and higher visibility for those who decide to not tidy up behind themselves.”

Procurement will now begin to find a contractor. An initial contract of three years will be awarded, with the possibility of an extension to 2029.