Gloucester City Council Bring in Enforcement Officers to Tackle Litter

Gloucester City Council Bring in Enforcement Officers to Tackle Litter

Gloucester City Council Bring In
Enforcement Officers to Tackle Litter

Gloucester City Council has given the go-ahead to plans to use a private security firm to issue fines to litterbugs and people who allow their dogs to foul and don’t clear it up. A team of so-called ‘litter police’ from the enforcement company 3GS are set to patrol Gloucester’s streets, handing out fines of up to £100 as part of a 12-month trial.

During the trial, there’ll be three enforcement officers brought in with the option to bring in a fourth if necessary, and there’s an expectation that each officer will issue at least four fines per day. The council insist that enforcement officers won’t get incentives to issue more.

The council won’t pay 3GS, instead they will split the profits from the fines 50/50. The council said that any money raised will be redirected into their environmental services. As part of the new plans, the fine for dropping litter, including from vehicles, and dog fouling will be £75, rising to £100 if the fine is not paid by the set deadline.

 

Dog Fouling

 

According to a report presented to the council’s cabinet, the local authority spends around £1 million per year clearing litter and fly-tipping, sweeping the streets and emptying litter bins. A local councillor commented that the litter problem is huge and asked why taxpayers should be having to pay for people who don’t clear up after themselves.

The council said it chose 3GS for the trial as the company focuses on educating people about litter as well as enforcement. It plans to work with Gloucester Rugby Club so announcements can be made during matches to spread the word about the new enforcement officers.

Opposition councillors have criticised the fact that the council has brought in a private enforcement firm rather than using their own staff. One councillor said that it was evidence that the council do not have the resources to do jobs like this for themselves due to making several members of staff redundant last year. He added that council services should be delivered by council staff and shouldn’t be making a profit for private companies.

Another councillor welcomed the move saying that the crackdown on litter was welcome. He said he would have preferred the service to be delivered in-house but commented that action had to be taken to reduce the amount of litter in the city.