Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Resident Experience. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality.

DECLARATIONs OF INTEREST MADE FOR THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1. Approved the commencement of a procurement exercise for an enhanced environmental enforcement contract for the offences listed in Appendix 1, in accordance with CSO 2.01.b).
   
   
2. Approved that the Council tender for enforcement of those offences listed in Appendix 1 as requiring Council approval.
   
   
3. Noted that the outcome of the procurement would be cost-neutral to the Council and that the Council would retain a proportion of the value of collected FPNs.
   
   

Reasons for Decision

The contract to deliver environmental enforcement with Kingdom Services Group Limited, as extended in February 2026, was due to expire in 2027. If the Council wished to continue undertaking environmental enforcement across the borough, a new contract would need to be implemented.

Whilst the contract was cost-neutral to the Council, it was anticipated that the value of the contract would exceed £500,000. In accordance with Contract Standing Order 2.01.b), Cabinet was required to approve the commencement of a procurement exercise for contracts valued at £500,000 or more.

Under the outcome of "A cleaner, low waste Haringey" within the "Responding to the climate emergency" theme of the Corporate Delivery Plan 2024-2026, the Council had previously committed to delivering enhanced environmental enforcement, including targeted deployment (Monday to Sunday) of proactive litter and waste enforcement patrols in town centres and hotspot locations across the borough.

The new Corporate Delivery Plan being developed by the administration also included a commitment to tackling fly-tipping in the borough, which was one of the Council's top ten priorities.

Engagement with residents in 2026, involving responses from approximately 9,000 residents, businesses and community groups, revealed that 96% strongly agreed or agreed with fining those responsible for fly-tipping, while 95% strongly agreed or agreed with fining people for dog fouling or littering.

Whilst the Council had an internal waste enforcement team, its capacity was limited and it focused on preventative measures, complex cases and prosecuting offenders. The capacity provided by an outsourced service enabled Council officers to focus on this work while allowing flexibility to respond to hotspot areas across the borough through additional staff provided under the contract.

There was an MTFS income target associated with environmental enforcement of £50,000 for 2027/28. Without this contract, that target could not be achieved.

Alternative Options Considered

The Council could have done nothing and allowed the contract with Kingdom to expire without replacement. This would have meant that the Council did not have sufficient resources to take enforcement action against those who deliberately committed offences such as littering and fly-tipping.

Without education and a deterrent, there could have been an increase in littering and fly-tipping across the borough, impacting street cleansing services and creating additional costs in terms of both collection and disposal.

Therefore, this option was not recommended.

The Council could have insourced the service and undertaken all environmental enforcement activity itself. This would have required the Council either to commit additional resources to deliver the service or to continue with the current team, which would have meant insufficient capacity to take enforcement action against those who deliberately committed offences such as littering and fly-tipping.

The service had been delivered exclusively by Haringey officers between 2018 and 2024 and demonstrated that it was unable to reach its full potential due to the sustained volume of demand.

Financial pressures facing the Council also meant that this option was unaffordable, with an estimated annual cost pressure of approximately £1.4m.

Without the support that an outsourced service could provide, including specialist software and back-office support, the Council's ability to tackle and reduce environmental crime would have been significantly reduced.

Therefore, this option was not recommended.

The Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality introduced the report.

Clean streets, parks, housing estates and open spaces were recognised as important contributors to residents' perceptions of their local area and sense of community pride.

That Cabinet Member noted that residents had raised concerns relating to littering and fly-tipping. During 2024/25, the Council received an average of approximately 46 reports of fly-tipping each day. Evidence indicated that dumped waste affected the appearance of the borough, reduced enjoyment of public spaces and could contribute to perceptions of reduced safety.

It was stressed that addressing environmental crime and improving local environmental quality formed part of the Corporate Delivery Plan. The forthcoming Love Haringey campaign was intended to promote community pride through a combination of awareness-raising and practical action, encouraging collaboration between the Council, residents and businesses to improve the cleanliness of streets, parks and other public spaces.

The Council's approach placed an emphasis on community engagement, education and encouraging residents to take pride in, and responsibility for, their local environment. It was also recognised that enforcement had a role in supporting environmental standards across the borough. Cabinet was therefore asked to approve the procurement of a new waste enforcement contract. Previous consultation had indicated strong public support for enforcement measures, with 96% of respondents supporting fines for fly-tipping and 94% supporting penalties for littering and dog fouling.

The Cabinet Member explained that the proposed approach sought to ensure that enforcement activity was proportionate and focused on deliberate or serious offences. The intention was to target behaviours that contributed significantly to environmental crime and associated costs for the Council and residents.

It was further recognised that contracts funded through enforcement income could create unintended incentives. The procurement process was therefore intended to ensure compliance with statutory guidance and the principle that enforcement should not be used as a means of generating revenue.

The importance of public awareness was also recognised. Some residents may not have been aware that actions such as leaving unwanted items outside properties, feeding pigeons in certain circumstances, or incorrectly disposing of cigarette waste could constitute offences. The Council therefore proposed to provide additional information and signage to improve understanding of relevant regulations and potential penalties. Any new contract would, at a minimum, retain the existing representations process, allowing penalty notices to be challenged, with efforts made to ensure that the process remained clear and accessible.

Maintaining a clean and attractive borough was recognised as a shared responsibility between the Council, residents and businesses. The proposed contract formed one element of the Council's broader approach to improving the local environment.

Following questions from Councillors Emery and Hodges the following information was shared:

• It was explained that the contract, when designed, could potentially contain any penalisation for poor service from operators, however, it was stressed that the decision that was for Cabinet to decide at this meeting was to open procurement, and that the final contract was not finalised. Officers explained that they had been working with other London boroughs to review the best specification for the final contract.
  
  
• It was explained by officers that the Council held direction for duty of care, which was undertaken on an area basis, so that there was no disproportionate visiting on one business.
  
  
• It was explained by officers that the Council was statutorily forbidden from generating revenue through fines.
  
  
• It was stressed that the focus for enforcement would be on larger scale waste offenses and to target criminal offenses taking place. It was explained by the Cabinet Member that they felt that the contract was imbalanced towards minor misdemeanours and stressed that there needed to be more focus in the new contract to reduce and focus on larger scale offenders and fly-tippers.
  
  
• It was noted that there needed to be more information available publicly, as well as information as to why certain activities were considered littering and fly-tipping.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1. Approved the commencement of a procurement exercise for an enhanced environmental enforcement contract for the offences listed in Appendix 1, in accordance with CSO 2.01.b).
   
   
2. Approved that the Council tender for enforcement of those offences listed in Appendix 1 as requiring Council approval.
   
   
3. Noted that the outcome of the procurement would be cost-neutral to the Council and that the Council would retain a proportion of the value of collected FPNs.
   
   

Reasons for Decision

The contract to deliver environmental enforcement with Kingdom Services Group Limited, as extended in February 2026, was due to expire in 2027. If the Council wished to continue undertaking environmental enforcement across the borough, a new contract would need to be implemented.

Whilst the contract was cost-neutral to the Council, it was anticipated that the value of the contract would exceed £500,000. In accordance with Contract Standing Order 2.01.b), Cabinet was required to approve the commencement of a procurement exercise for contracts valued at £500,000 or more.

Under the outcome of "A cleaner, low waste Haringey" within the "Responding to the climate emergency" theme of the Corporate Delivery Plan 2024-2026, the Council had previously committed to delivering enhanced environmental enforcement, including targeted deployment (Monday to Sunday) of proactive litter and waste enforcement patrols in town centres and hotspot locations across the borough.

The new Corporate Delivery Plan being developed by the administration also included a commitment to tackling fly-tipping in the borough, which was one of the Council's top ten priorities.

Engagement with residents in 2026, involving responses from approximately 9,000 residents, businesses and community groups, revealed that 96% strongly agreed or agreed with fining those responsible for fly-tipping, while 95% strongly agreed or agreed with fining people for dog fouling or littering.

Whilst the Council had an internal waste enforcement team, its capacity was limited and it focused on preventative measures, complex cases and prosecuting offenders. The capacity provided by an outsourced service enabled Council officers to focus on this work while allowing flexibility to respond to hotspot areas across the borough through additional staff provided under the contract.

There was an MTFS income target associated with environmental enforcement of £50,000 for 2027/28. Without this contract, that target could not be achieved.

Alternative Options Considered

The Council could have done nothing and allowed the contract with Kingdom to expire without replacement. This would have meant that the Council did not have sufficient resources to take enforcement action against those who deliberately committed offences such as littering and fly-tipping.

Without education and a deterrent, there could have been an increase in littering and fly-tipping across the borough, impacting street cleansing services and creating additional costs in terms of both collection and disposal.

Therefore, this option was not recommended.

The Council could have insourced the service and undertaken all environmental enforcement activity itself. This would have required the Council either to commit additional resources to deliver the service or to continue with the current team, which would have meant insufficient capacity to take enforcement action against those who deliberately committed offences such as littering and fly-tipping.

The service had been delivered exclusively by Haringey officers between 2018 and 2024 and demonstrated that it was unable to reach its full potential due to the sustained volume of demand.

Financial pressures facing the Council also meant that this option was unaffordable, with an estimated annual cost pressure of approximately £1.4m.

Without the support that an outsourced service could provide, including specialist software and back-office support, the Council's ability to tackle and reduce environmental crime would have been significantly reduced.

Therefore, this option was not recommended.