Agenda item

The Scrutiny Officer presented the completed report for the recent Review of the Council’s Approach to Environmental Despoilment Education and Enforcement to the Committee.

The Committee had agreed to undertake a review of the Council’s approach to environmental despoilment education and enforcement, as part of its 2024/25 Work Programme.

The issue was initially raised due to concerns about environmental despoilment in the District, including fly-tipping, littering, and dog fouling, which not only degraded the aesthetic value of the District but also posed significant risks to public health, safety, and local biodiversity.

In May 2025, the Environment Secretary announced further measures to tackle waste crime, including a review of local authority vehicle seizure powers to better support local authorities in dealing with fly-tipping.

Reforms to the waste carriers, brokers and dealers regime, as well as tighter controls on waste permit exemptions, would provide local authorities and the Environment Agency the stronger tools needed to crack down on illegal waste activity.

At the local level, the District faced unique challenges - despite its natural beauty and rich heritage, the District had struggled with persistent environmental despoilment, especially when compared to neighbouring areas.

This issue had significant implications for the well-being of local communities,

impacting both the physical environment and public perception of the area.

The prevalence of environmental despoilment not only undermined residents'  quality of life but also detracted from the District’s appeal to visitors and potential investors.

Furthermore, environmental despoilment in shared public spaces could harm wildlife, pose hazards to public health and incur high costs for clean-up efforts.

This was a critical issue for the Council, as it aligned with both local priorities (incl. creating safer, cleaner neighbourhoods) and national objectives focused on waste reduction and environmental sustainability.

The aims of the review were:

·       That the Council reduced fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling to improve the aesthetical value of the District, protect local wildlife and reduce the cost of dealing with the unauthorised illegal depositing of waste by assessing the service’s effectiveness in tackling environmental despoilment; and,

·       That the Council became an excellent authority at ‘keeping the District clean’ rather than ‘cleaning the District’.

The objectives agreed were:

1.     Understand what Environmental Despoilment involved (fly tipping, littering and dog fouling), the Council’s statutory duty and enforcement powers, and policies available to the Council;

2.     Analyse the current data of incidents of environmental despoilment across the District;

3.     Review the current arrangements undertaken by the Enforcement Team, Streetscene Services and Environmental Health to reduce or prevent Environmental Despoilment;

4.     Improve public information / education on environmental despoilment; and,

5.     Identify benchmarking opportunities and areas for improvement; ensure there was a clear strategy of enforcement action to improve the quality of the environment across the District.

The key issues identified for investigation included:

·       Enforcement powers of the Council;

·       Types of land covered by the Council’s statutory duties (Agricultural, Back Alley, Commercial/Industrial, Council, Footpath/Bridleway, Highway, Private Land, Railway, Watercourse);

·       Public information and education;

·       Dog Fouling;

·       Fly Tipping; and,

·       Litter.

The Committee had put together 11 recommendations aimed at assisting the Council in improving the effectiveness of its response to environmental despoilment across the District.

The key findings from the review were:

·       Environmental despoilment, particularly fly-tipping, remained a significant and persistent issue across the District, impacting both the quality of the environment and residents' sense of place;

·       Current enforcement outcomes were limited, with performance data showing a low percentage of reports leading to fixed penalty notices or prosecutions, particularly for fly-tipping, dog fouling and littering;

·       The Joint Environmental Health Service with North East Derbyshire District Council offered a useful foundation, but there was a clear need to explore alternative models or tools that could enhance enforcement capability and effectiveness;

·       Hotspot locations for fly-tipping required targeted action, including surveillance, signage, and operational task groups to focus efforts and improve accountability across departments;

·       The coordination between departments – Streetscene, Community Safety and Environmental Health – must be strengthened through revived Corporate Enforcement Group meetings, structured evidence processes, and shared training opportunities;

·       Public engagement and education were essential components for any long-term solution, with the Council needing to amplify its communications, provide clear guidance on waste disposal, and increase the visibility of enforcement actions to deter offending; and,

·       Improved transparency and performance benchmarking through accessible, meaningful data and public updates which would help build community trust and demonstrate the Council’s commitment to tackling environmental offences.

The Committee recognised that a strategic and joined-up approach was required to deliver sustained improvements.

The recommendations aimed to enhance enforcement activity, strengthen interdepartmental coordination, increase public awareness, and improve the visibility and responsiveness of the Council’s actions.

If implemented effectively, the measures could help reduce environmental crime, promote civic responsibility, and create a cleaner, safer District for all residents.

The enforcement of environmental crime was discussed, with the use of good signage and social media encouraged.

Moved by Councillor Anne Clarke and seconded by Councillor Sandra Peake

RESOLVED that: 1) the Committee endorses the recommendations of the review outlined in Section 2 of the attached report (Appendix 2);

2)    Committee submits the report to Executive for approval, in accordance with the Scrutiny Committee Terms of Reference – Part 3.6 (3) of the Constitution; and,

3)    Following approval by Executive, monitoring of these recommendations by the Committee takes place over a twelve-month period via post scrutiny monitoring reports with an update report to the Committee at the end of the monitoring period.