Andrew Balfour, Local Democracy Reporter
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has voiced concern that a recently-contracted littering enforcement firm is targeting “easy catches” with fines discarded cigarette butts.
In May council contracted private enforcement team National Enforcement Solutions (NES)/ 3GS to tackle dog fouling, litter and fly tipping across the borough, targeting hotspot areas, with a team of three officers and plans to increase to seven officers.
During June’s Environmental Services Committee, Sinn Féin councillor Sean Bateson noted that an external company had been contracted in the past, and voiced concern that current enforcement will focus on discarded cigarette butts as they did.
“They obviously help us increase our statistics around dog fouling, littering hotspots, etc but when we were agreeing to this outside company coming in, part of it was that it wouldn’t just be a repeat of a previous attempt focussing on the easy catches, regarding cigarette butts,” Councillor Bateson said.
“But from what I’m getting from a few people is that they are targeting cigarette butts and there have been a number of fines issued in relation.”
He noted that one resident is now facing a fine that could “have a really big impact over the next few weeks” due to its size, and while the enforcement company is a “good idea” members needed to ensure enforcement didn’t focus on the “easy stuff”.
He asked if council could put in place a payment scheme for people who couldn’t pay immediately.
In response, director of environmental services, Aidan McPeake, said there was no current mechanism to spread the payment, aside form a slight fine reduction, from £250 to £200, for early payment.
Mr McPeake told members that an enforcement progress report would be presented to committee after the summer recess and added: “ I do take your point in relation to the cigarette offences; early indications are showing that they have exceeded the percentage target set within the contract and the members had agreed to.
“We have spoken to the company and made them aware of that and to rectify that urgently. We hope to see a change in that percentage spread of cigarette offences versus the other offences that they’re supposed to be targeting, so we hope to see a difference.”
DUP representative Tanya Elder and Sharon McKillop said they had also been contacted by several constituents around similar fines, and at alderman McKillop’s request Mr McPeake said council would consider a public awareness campaign around dropping cigarette butts.
Committee Chair and UUP councillor Richard Holmes concluded: “I have to say I have little sympathy for people dropping cigarette butts and getting fined, but obviously I’m in the minority on that one.”
