At the London Borough of Wandsworth, the contract firm NSL has been appointed to what they term a concerted environmental enforcement initiative across the south London borough. In a trial scheme, six full-time Environmental Enforcement Officers wearind body worn cameras will patrol the borough’s streets and public spaces; offenders can receive £80 fixed penalty notice (FPN) fines.
NSL’s Neighbourhoods Account Director, Phil Pughe, says: “Littering blights many busy and densely populated urban areas and the vast majority of responsible residents and local businesses are fully supportive of any programme that will address the problem and keep their local areas clean and safe.
“Our experience in helping to reduce the incidence of littering and encouraging behavioural change among habitual offenders has delivered very positive outcomes for other authorities in the capital as well as in metropolitan areas in other parts of the country. Naturally, we’re delighted to now be applying this experience alongside our existing civil enforcement work in Wandsworth.”
The contract was awarded to NSL after a competitive tender and is for an initial 12 months. The new programme will operate from two local bases in Wandsworth and is likely to include some home-based deployment, the contractor reports.
The council’s environment spokesman Councillor Jonathan Cook said: “The vast majority of residents take great pride in their local communities, but we want to send out a really strong message to the irresponsible and inconsiderate minority that think they can get away with spoiling our borough. I’m confident NSL will deliver a programme that will not only provide an effective deterrent but also encourage offenders to recognise and address the error of their ways.”
The award of this new environmental enforcement follows NSL’s appointment early in 2016 to deliver all on- and off-street enforcement services for the borough, besides taking on the suspensions service and management of the council’s fixed and mobile CCTV resources.
Wandsworth residents can report flytips and other problems via the council’s Report It app. To download, search for ‘Wandsworth Report It’ on the Apple, Android or Windows app store, or access it via the council’s website.
