Purpose

This report provides an update
on Croydon Council’s strengthened approach to environmental
and regulatory enforcement, directly supporting the Executive
Mayor’s Business Plan 2022–2026 priority to make
Croydon a cleaner, safer and healthier borough. The report
highlights measurable progress since the refocused enforcement was
introduced.
 
In 2021 the decision was taken
to discontinue the Neighbourhood Safety Team. This service had
previously provided a visible on-street presence and supported a
broad range of community compliance and environmental enforcement
activity. The reduction in frontline capacity affected the
Council’s ability to proactively deter and respond to
environmental crime. In light of these impacts, and the increasing
concern about fly tipping, a new, fit-for-purpose team is being
established with a more targeted focus on environmental crime,
underpinned by a clear zero-tolerance approach.
 
Since the new Community
Compliance Team started in September they have issued over 100
Fixed Penalty Notices for waste-related offences (paragraph 5.8),
with early indicators showing a reduction in reported fly-tipping
in hotspot areas. The Council has also secured several prosecutions
including a £7,951 court fine and costs order against a
persistent offender. Broader data demonstrates enforcement outcomes
across multiple environmental disciplines (Appendix A in the full
report).

Content

For the reasons set out in the
report, the Executive Mayor and Cabinet AGREED
to:
 
Note the progress made in
delivering the refocused approach to environmental and regulatory
enforcement across the Streets and Environment Department since
April 2025 (paragraphs 5.5–5.10).
 
Note that the formal approval
process for the draft Streets and Environment Enforcement Policy
2025 is currently underway (paragraphs 5.1–5.5).
 
Agree that future updates on
enforcement performance are reported to Cabinet on an annual basis,
ensuring sustained visibility of progress and outcomes against the
Executive Mayor’s Business Plan priorities.