Our Ref: 6567  

Dear Enquirer,

INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your request for information which will be dealt with under
the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 / Environmental
Information Regulations 2004.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, we
will let you know the likely charges before proceeding.

If you have any queries about this matter please contact us. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Kind regards

Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF

Tel: 0345 600 6400
Email: [email address]
Web: http://www.northumberland.gov.uk

Our Ref: FOI ID 6567

Date: 28 August 2019

Dear Enquirer

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST

I refer to your Freedom of Information request in relation to fixed
penalty notices issued for the littering of cigarette butts.

Right of Access

Section 1(1) of the Act provides any person making a request for
information to a public authority is entitled.

(a) to be informed in writing by the public authority whether it holds
information of the description specified in the request (which Section
1(6) of the Act designates as the "duty to confirm or deny"), and

(b) if that is the case, to have that information communicated to him.

The right is to obtain access to the information itself and not to the
document or record which contains it.

The Act creates a general right of access to information held by public
authorities subject to various exemptions.

Northumberland County Council confirms that it holds the information you
have requested, please see the (attached/following) information in
response.

1. How many Fixed Penalty Notices has your council handed out in 2018 for
the littering of cigarette butts? 

172 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for the offence of Littering within
Northumberland during 2018.  Unfortunately we do not record specifically
what type of litter is discarded. 

2. How many FPNs have not been paid within the allocated time frame, and
subsequently gone to court for littering cigarette butts in 2018? 

16 Littering Offences were subsequently prosecuted at Magistrates Court
after the FPN was not paid in 2018. 14 of which were for cigarette ends
only.

3. How much is your FPN for littering cigarette butts?  

The current penalty is £80.00 for a Littering offence which includes
cigarette ends, reduced to £65.00 if paid within 7 days.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request an internal review by writing within 2 months
from the date of this response to the Information Governance Office:

Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth NE61 2EF

Email: [email address]

Information Commissioner

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have a
right by Section 50 of the Act to apply to the Information Commissioner
for a decision as to whether your request has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113
Email: [email address]

There is no charge for making an appeal.

Yours faithfully

FOI Coordinator - Public Protection
Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland NE61 2EF

Tel: 0345 600 6400
Email: [email address]
Web: http://www.northumberland.gov.uk