Litter fine increases on the way

Anyone caught dropping litter, leaving graffiti or fly-posting in Swale will be fined £150 in fine increases from 1 July 2018.

Swale Borough Council agreed to raise the maximum fixed penalty notice (FPN) for the offences from their current £80 to £150 after new regulations came into force allowing council’s to impose fine increases.

The existing £80 level has been in place since 2006, with 1,633 FPN’s issued in 2017/18, and more than 100 people taken to court for non-payment.

Any money left over after paying for the costs of the scheme is ring-fenced for environmental projects such as new litter bins, educational programmes and events to deter environmental crime.

Cllr David Simmons, cabinet member for environment and rural affairs at the council, said:

“The existing level has been in place for more than a decade, and doesn’t reflect the costs – socially or economically – that these kinds of offences create.

“It doesn’t just cost council tax payers money to clean up the mess, it can make an area feel less welcoming and attractive for local people.

“In the last few years we’ve put in a lot of effort to increase the amount of litter enforcement with extra patrols being carried out. These are making a difference, but there is still a minority who believe they can get away with leaving a mess for others to clear up.

“We hope that this increase acts as an appropriate deterrent and that people decide to do the right thing with their rubbish rather than litter it on our streets.

“Through our local engagement sessions and surveys we know that residents support these ‘on the spot fines’ for anyone caught dropping litter.”

The increase was approved by the full council at a meeting on Wednesday, 13 June.

For more information about the council’s work to tackle litter across the borough, please visit Swale Council litter pages.

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