Hull City Council is launching a public vote on plans to combat the widespread issue of littering.
Litter blights our city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods, is hazardous to people, animals and the environment. It also costs the council thousands of pounds in collection and disposal costs a year, wasting council taxpayers money.
The multi-million pound transformation of the city centre has brought new energy to key areas and created new public spaces such as King Edward Square, and we expect residents and visitors alike to respect it by not dropping litter.
The council also has a responsibility to keep its land free of litter, and by taking a tougher stance on enforcement, we can deter those who habitually drop litter.
As part of our commitment to reducing this anti-social behaviour, we are asking the public if they would support the council in engaging with an external organisation to enforce action against those who litter.
This may include issuing on-the-spot fixed penalty notices (FPNs).
Councillor Alan Clark, Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Enforcement, said:
“We understand that littering is an important issue for our residents, so we are asking the public if they would support the council in engaging with an external organisation to enforce action against those who litter.
“Tackling environmental crime is a top priority for us, and we are fed up with the selfish minority who spoil the city for everyone. We take a zero-tolerance approach to littering and by strengthening our enforcement work, we’ll be able to crackdown even more on these environmental crimes.”
The crackdown on street litter forms part of a wider strategy designed to tackle the city’s various waste problems.
Currently, we don’t have the resources to enforce all issues effectively, and enforcement is limited to responses from those who have witnessed incidents and are willing to provide statements.
If the public support the action to team up with an organisation to enforce littering, we will explore what options are available to us. One potentially viable option is to employ an enforcement team that are self-financing, with any surplus income being invested in environmental improvements such as removing graffiti and improving street cleaning.
Would you support the council in expanding its enforcement action to fine those who drop litter?
Vote now on www.hull.gov.uk/litter closing date is Thursday 31 August.
