Decision - Environmental Enforcement Service

This report recommends improvements to the council's approach that focus on improving the look and feel of the city, working more closely with businesses on prevention and ensuring an intelligence led approach to fines that support a cleaner city and a reduction in waste offences

1) That Cabinet approves a set of changes that will introduce a fairer system of environmental enforcement, with a shift towards early engagement, prevention and collaboration with residents and businesses to improve the look and feel of the city, whilst ensuring a robust approach to tackle persistent and more serious offences. 2) That Cabinet approves the introduction from 1 st April 2026 of a lower-tier, proportionate FPN schedule for minor fly-tipping (residential and commercial) and littering, as set out in appendix A. 3) That Cabinet approves taking the high-profile none payers to court, to get a clear message out to businesses, that they have a legal duty to ensure that their waste is disposed of correctly and that failure to do so could result in them having a criminal record. 4) That Cabinet delegates authority to the Corporate Director, City Operations, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services, to finalise operational policies and procedures, and to make minor amendments to the FPN schedule within national parameters.

The appendix sets out proposed lower-tier fixed penalty notice amounts for fly-tipping, littering, graffiti, fly-posting, unauthorised flyering and waste-document offences. Different penalties are specified for residential and commercial fly-tipping, with discounts available for some offences when paid promptly.