Littering enforcement patrols to end in Salisbury
Patrols are set to end this year in bid by city council to save costs
Salisbury City Council is facing backlash over its decision to end litter enforcement patrols, in a bid to save money.
Litter enforcement on the streets of Salisbury will stop this year after the city council decided not to renew an enforcement contract.
Patrols will stop in six months, with the city council choosing against extending its deal with East Hants Commercial services over rising costs.
Officers had been roaming the streets of Salisbury twice a week handing out fixed penalty notices of £75 - commonly for littering cigarette butts.
But what had been a £60,000 cost to the council has risen to £90,000, and at an Environment and Climate Committee meeting last month the council said this was too much.
This has caused concern amongst some, especially at a time when the number of litter bins in the city has been reduced.
Conservative Councillor for Harnham West, Eleanor Wills has been particularly concerned.
"We want residents to think that for the council tax they pay that they’re seeing clean streets and a city that they like to go in and visit regularly.
"Councils have a legal responsibility to pick litter up and to create clean streets within the city centre.”
She added it’s "common sense" to enforce a fine for littering when it’s a criminal offence in the country.
"It’s absolutely fundamental that we have clean streets, and we can’t just rely on street cleaning teams to pick up our litter. There’s a fine in place for a reason and we don’t want to see the enforcement of litter fines being lost in Salisbury.
"You don’t just cut a service because it’s not making money. We’re only looking at a deficit of around a third from the cost of the fines versus the cost of the actual service."
Salisbury City Council said the cost of enforcement patrols is "intended to be cost-neutral" which is no longer feasible following a rise in costs.
It said it explored the option of increasing the level of fines but felt that people "would simply not pay".
A spokesperson from the city council said:
"This year our budgeted figure for this service was £60,000 and the figure we will have to budget will be £92,365.
"Experience suggests that only about 63% of this figure will come back to the council by way of fines.
"Such losses are clearly unsustainable at a time when we, in common with councils throughout the land, are facing major budget pressures which will inevitably increase our council tax precept."
Council leaders have agreed that if there is a significant increase in the city’s litter problem, and if finances permit, the decision can be revisited in future years.
Environment & Climate Committee Vice-Chair, Cllr Annie Riddle added:
“We all want a clean, green city, and we hope people will behave responsibly and help us keep it that way.
“I would like to make it clear that the council is not cutting street cleaning, only the enforcement of penalties for littering."