Litter team will tackle anti-social behaviour
Maidstone council has agreed proposals to bring its litter enforcement team in house after a string of problems with the company contracted to provide the service.
The plans, agreed this week would see two officers patrol the borough charged with tackling anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and dog fouling.
Kingdom Security provided environmental enforcement services in the borough from 2010 until August, when it and the council reached a mutual decision to end the contract.
The decision came after a number of gaffes by litter enforcement officers, who were criticised for their overzealous approach. The service was temporally suspended for two weeks and reviewed after a woman was fined for feeding ducks in the River Medway last September.
In May they were taken off the streets again after a BBC 1 documentary revealed they were receiving commission based on the number of £80 fixed penalty tickets issued – previously the council had strenuously denied this was the case.
The new service would be run directly by the council and would cost up to £75,000, including £50,000 expected in legal fees, some of which could be recouped through the courts.
Officers would still have the power to issue tickets but would only spend 70% of their time on litter enforcement duties, the rest providing a visible presence in the town and helping with issues such as anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping.
Matt Roberts, a council officer, said the move was aimed at cracking down on all of the issues affecting the town. Cllr Marion Ring (Con) praised the idea but asked for reassurance the service would be boroughwide.
She said: “I really worry about things in the town and I am not being flippant about this, but didn’t we have a murder the other week? Do we not get stabbings?
“To me something isn’t right with the town centre because these things are happening but I thought this was dealing with an environmental problem. “How are just two people going to do all that job plus the environmental jobs we wanted?
“It will be our own officers [instead of Kingdom officers] and I would hate to think, though its not their fault, these people would be thrown to the press because something has happened.”
Cllr Val Springett, (Con) said: “I am in support of it being in-house and hopefully with training we won’t have duck incidents.”
The committee voted through the proposal unanimously.