Derby City Council has awarded Kingdom Local Authority Support, a division of Kingdom Services Group, a new contract to combat the persistent issues of littering and fly-tipping plaguing Derby’s streets. This collaborative effort signifies a significant stride towards mitigating environmental crime and enhancing community safety within Derby.
The local authority agreed in a December cabinet meeting to be more proactive in the approach to catching and fining people who are littering and fly-tipping across the city through maximising its capacity to investigate these crimes and issuing higher penalties.
As one of the UK’S leading providers of environmental crime enforcement, Kingdom Local Authority Support bring extensive expertise and experience to the table, already supporting several councils across the UK such as Boston, Burnley, Dartford, Newcastle, Guildford, and Enfield. From 2nd April onwards, Kingdom’s dedicated team of officers will be patrolling key areas around Derby, encompassing the City Centre, Abbey, Arboretum and Normanton, with a focus on addressing street littering and fly-tipping head-on.
Through a multifaceted approach that incorporates educational initiatives and robust enforcement measures, the aim is to instil a culture of respect for the local environment. The Kingdom officers will work alongside Derby Council’s existing Public Protection Team to foster a cleaner and safer Derby.
Like many of Kingdom’s other contracts with local councils, the newly awarded contract comes at no cost to the Council, with the funding generated through the issuing of fixed penalty notices, to ensure the financial burden is placed not on the taxpayer but on the person who chooses to litter and fly-tip. With fly-tipping currently costing Derby City Council an estimated £330,000 per year to remove, the proactive education and enforcement by Kingdom Local Authority Support is hoped to reduce this cost to the taxpayer, enabling Derby Council to invest in other community services.
According to Keep Britain Tidy, more than two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every single day, costing the taxpayer close to £1 billion a year. Through a ‘no cost to council’ approach, the Kingdom enforcement team reduce the cost of street cleaning for councils without the added expense of funding the contracts. For councils such as Dartford, whom
Kingdom supported in reducing fly-tipping in known hotspots across the borough, there was a 98% reduction in this kind of environmental crime (Kingdom Local Authority Support) through this approach.
Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa, Cabinet Member for Communities and Streetpride, expressed his support for the partnership, emphasising the importance of collaboration in creating a cleaner and safer city. He stated, "We're working hard to make the city as clean as possible, and working in partnership is key to this. We've been clear from the start that we'll be taking more action against that small minority that drop litter or fly-tip on our streets when they know they shouldn't."
“The less we have to spend on cleaning up after litter louts and fly-tippers, the more we can spend on services residents want, such as filling potholes and providing free bulky waste collections.”
John Roberts, Senior Director of Service at Kingdom Local Authority Support added:
“We are pleased to collaborate with Derby City Council on the pilot program for environmental and anti-social behaviour patrols. Our approach will be multifaceted, working closely with the council's in-house team to address littering and other waste offenses throughout the city centre and surrounding areas.
“In addition to enforcement measures, we will also implement educational projects in schools to raise awareness about litter laws and the impact of litter on our communities. By engaging with younger generations, we aim to install a sense of responsibility and promote a cleaner and healthier environment for the future.”