Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

The Scrutiny Board considered a Briefing Note which outlined progress that is being made to tackle fly tipping in the City.

The Briefing Note indicated that fly tipping has increased in the City in the last 12 months. An appendix to the Briefing Note compared the number of fly tipping episodes in the years 2016/17 and 2017/18, which needs to be set against a rising trend nationally and locally. A further appendix compares Coventry’s total fly tipping episodes with those near neighbours and as a factor of population size. The increase in fly tipping and the Council’s response was exacerbated by the following factors, details of which were highlighted in the report:-

  • Change in legislation and the cost of waste disposal

  • Savings made on waste collection, street cleaning and enforcement

The Scrutiny Board noted that the Street Enforcement Team is a multi-disciplinary service, which responds to a wide variety of issues and not just fly tipping. Further appendices to the Briefing Note detailed the number of issues managed by the team and an indication of the total work that falls to the team and increase to the individual officer’s case load. In the year to date the total amount of work completed by the team compared to previous 12 months increased from 12,706 cases to 13,785 cases, an increase of 8.5%.

The Briefing Note outlined measures taken to address the increase including:-

• A restructure of the Street Enforcement Team in February 2018 to better align the service to tackle fly tipping, creating elements of the service that could respond rapidly to collect evidence and catalogue fly tipping incidents and allow other elements of the service to more effectively case manage incidents. These changes have resulted in an increase in the number of enforcement actions.

• The introduction of the Clean Streets Programme, designed to deal with parts of the City where there is poor compliance with the Council’s waste collection rules. The Programme is designed to educate local residents but enforcement is used where poor compliance continues.

• Projects such as “Hot Streets” which involves early intervention and an education initiative with residents in specific areas.

• The introduction of new surveillance equipment which will be deployed at areas that are frequently fly tipped on.

• Engaging residents with the aim of recruiting them as Street Champions.

The Scrutiny Board questioned officers on aspects of the Briefing Note including:-

• Work undertaken in this regard with partner organisations, such as the Police

• Encouraging residents to recycle or use charity organisations who will often collect unwanted goods

• The use of surveillance equipment at various locations across the City

• Work undertaken with new residents to the City, including the work done with the 2 Universities and students

• Support received from Courts in relation to enforcing legislation

• The Team’s preparations for the City of Culture 2021

RESOLVED that the Scrutiny Board:-

1)  Notes and welcomes the actions and programmes in place to tackle fly tipping

2)  Express their support to the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities for a bid for additional resources to support the work of the Street Enforcement Team during Coventry’s year of City of Culture 2021