Dear Ellen Blacow

Thank you for your information request received on 15 April 2021.

We can confirm receipt of your request for information and will handle it
under the most appropriate legislation.  

Your case reference number is FOI 24066

You can expect to receive a response by 14 May 2021.

The Council will be in touch if we need any further information.

Yours sincerely,

Information Management Team

Buckinghamshire Council

[1][Buckinghamshire Council request email]

[2]A Little Longer

DISCLAIMER FOR BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL

Any views expressed in this email are those of the individual sender and
are not necessarily those of Buckinghamshire Council unless explicitly
stated.

This email and any attachments may contain confidential or privileged
information and is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity
to whom it is addressed. Any confidential, sensitive or protectively
marked material must be handled accordingly.

If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, distribute,
copy, print or rely on any of the information contained in the email or
attachments, and all copies must be deleted immediately. If you do receive
this email in error please notify the sender immediately and note that
confidentiality or privilege is not waived or lost. 

Buckinghamshire Council may monitor the contents of emails sent and
received via its network for the purposes of ensuring compliance with
relevant legislation and the Council’s policies and procedures. All such
monitoring will take place in accordance with relevant legislation
including privacy and data protection legislation. For details of how
Buckinghamshire Council uses personal information please see the Council’s
website.

Buckinghamshire Council has scanned this email and attachments for viruses
but does not accept any responsibilities for viruses once this email has
been transmitted. You should therefore carry out your own anti-virus
checks before opening any documents.

References

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1. mailto:[Buckinghamshire Council request email]

Dear Ms Blacow

FOI / EIR 24066

Thank you for your request for information regarding Littering and
Fly-tipping.

This request has been handled under the Environmental Information
Regulations 2004.

We can confirm that Buckinghamshire Council does hold information falling
within the description specified in your request.

Please refer to our response below.

Could you please answer the following questions with regards to Littering
and Fly-tipping

1. What is the fine cost of a littering Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN)? 
2. How many FPNs did you issue for littering? 
3. How many FPNs for littering were paid for each year over the last 5
years? 

Buckinghamshire Council does not issue any Fixed Penalty Notices or fines
for littering. 

4. How many council complaints have you had for littering? 
Please note: On 1^st April 2020, the new Buckinghamshire Council replaced
the five former councils in Buckinghamshire (Aylesbury Vale District
Council, Buckinghamshire County Council, Chiltern District Council, South
Bucks District Council and Wycombe District Council). All local government
services previously provided by the former councils have now transferred
to the new council.

We have had 6 complaints since April 2020 ranging from overflowing litter
bins to uncleaned streets containing litter.

5. How many employees do you have that litter pick and how has this number
changed over the last 5 years? 

Our Waste Team currently employs 45 operatives within the team, part of
their work does include Litter picking, 30 of which work on cleansing
activities. The main function of most operatives is litter collection and
emptying of public bins. The number of operatives has approximately
remained the same for the last five years.

6. How many journalist inquiries regarding litter picking have you
received over the last 5 years? 

We are unable to separate requests for information by job title. 
7. How many staff members were furloughed during 2020 and 2021? 

No litter picking employees have been furloughed.

Fly-tipping:

Please could you provide the requested data per year for the last 5 years
(2015- 2020)

1. What is the fine cost for a Fly-tipping FPN?

2. How many fly-tipping FPN have you issued for each year over the last 5
years? 

3. How much money was collected from FPNs for Fly-tipping each year for
the last 5 years? 

Our team issues FPNs for fly-tipping offences and for failures (usually by
householders) in duty of care where they have passed their waste to a
waste carrier without making the required checks and the waste is later
found fly-tipped (failure in ‘duty of care’).  

We were only empowered in law to issue these FPNs from the end of April
2020 and putting the systems in place meant that the first FPNs for these
offences were served in August 2020

South Bucks – 12 FPNs for the act of fly-tipping, 2 for failing in duty of
care as a householder (14 total)

Wycombe – 2 FPNs for fly-tipping, 1 for failing in duty of care as a
householder (3 total)

4. How many reports/complaints on fly-tipping did you receive for the
above time frame? 

5. What is the cost to the council to rectify fly-tipping offences? 

Cost per clearance 

2015-16 £493,400

2016-17  £559,000

2017-18  £610,000

2018-19  £550,500

2019-20  £655,000

2020-21  £860,000  * estimate on incomplete data

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number provided in the subject line of
this email in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you can contact us at [1][Buckinghamshire Council request email] or by
writing to us at

Information Governance
Buckinghamshire Council
The Gateway
Gatehouse Road
Aylesbury
HP19 8FF

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.

Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
internal review procedure provided by Buckinghamshire Council. 

You can contact the ICO via their website
[2]https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ or by writing to them at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire

SK9 5AF 

Alternatively, you can phone them on 0303 123 1113.

With kind regards

Information and Complaints Team  

Deputy Chief Executive Directorate

Buckinghamshire Council
New County Offices, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 1UA
[3][Buckinghamshire Council request email]

[4]A Little Longer

DISCLAIMER FOR BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL

Any views expressed in this email are those of the individual sender and
are not necessarily those of Buckinghamshire Council unless explicitly
stated.

This email and any attachments may contain confidential or privileged
information and is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity
to whom it is addressed. Any confidential, sensitive or protectively
marked material must be handled accordingly.

If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, distribute,
copy, print or rely on any of the information contained in the email or
attachments, and all copies must be deleted immediately. If you do receive
this email in error please notify the sender immediately and note that
confidentiality or privilege is not waived or lost. 

Buckinghamshire Council may monitor the contents of emails sent and
received via its network for the purposes of ensuring compliance with
relevant legislation and the Council’s policies and procedures. All such
monitoring will take place in accordance with relevant legislation
including privacy and data protection legislation. For details of how
Buckinghamshire Council uses personal information please see the Council’s
website.

Buckinghamshire Council has scanned this email and attachments for viruses
but does not accept any responsibilities for viruses once this email has
been transmitted. You should therefore carry out your own anti-virus
checks before opening any documents.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Buckinghamshire Council request email]
2. https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
3. mailto:[Buckinghamshire Council request email]