That the end of consultation report be endorsed and the proposed new structure for the service approved.

The Council Wide Review of Enforcement Services has identified that the Council’s Environmental Enforcement Team cannot be operated on a self-funding basis solely from Fixed penalty Notice income and that the high, and escalating, cost of providing this non-statutory service is unaffordable in the current financial climate.  The Review identified a range of measures that the Council could put in place as an alternative to the penalty notice driven approach currently in operation.  The new approach will not only deliver a considerable saving but will also be potentially more effective in some areas, e.g. parks and green space, where an enforcement-driven approach has had little impact on public behaviour.

Currently the annual net cost to the Council for the provision of the Environmental Enforcement Team is in excess of £350K and this amount will increase in 2013-2014 due to the anticipated reduction in fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued.  There is no statutory requirement for the Council to provide an Environmental Enforcement service or to issue FPN’s for litter and other environmental contraventions. If the proposed budget-saving option is not approved year-on-year savings in excess of £350k would need to be found elsewhere in the Council budget.