After a competitive procurement process, Plymouth City Council has hired Kingdom Services whose officers will be able to issue fixed penalty notices for offences such as littering, dog fouling, fly-posting and fly-tipping. The council says it’s to help deliver its Corporate Plan, which sets out to ensure that Plymouth is a green and pleasant city.
Council leader Ian Bowyer said: “Local residents often speak to me about littering, dog fouling, and fly tipping. This administration has made it clear it is committed to tackling these issues and the Council will now “beef up” enforcement activities to deal more effectively with these anti-social activities. I’m delighted that we have moved forward with this initiative and welcome Kingdom Security on board. We believe they share our vision for the fair but firm way that this scheme will operate. Having extra staff on the street will force offenders to think about their behaviours and how they affect their neighbours which will hopefully lead to a cleaner city for us all to enjoy.”
John Dunne, the director of operations for Kingdom Services Group said: ”We look forward to helping Plymouth City Council with their aim to ensure people live and visit a green and pleasant city.”
Although the council has staff trained in gathering and reporting evidence, numbers are small and so presence on the street is limited, the council admits. Hence the enforcement officers, so that instead of being a reactive service, teams will be able to tackle issues around the city. Members of the public are being encouraged to get in touch if they see an offence being committed. If residents are able to identify the perpetrator and provide a witness statement then it is possible for a fixed penalty notice to be issued.
Littering and fly-posting both carry an £80 penalty while dog fouling costs offenders £100. Meanwhile, fly-tipping is punishable by a £400 fine.
