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RESOLVED: That
Cabinet;
1.   
Agreed to the procurement, at no anticipated direct
cost to the Council, of an environmental enforcement contract, that
specifies the issuing of fixed penalty notices for littering and
other environmental misdemeanours and includes an option for the
provision of other enforcement services.
2.   
That Cabinet delegate authority to the Executive
Director of Place & Economy, in consultation with the portfolio
holder for Regulatory Services and the Head of Environmental
Protection & Environmental Crime to select a suitable
contractor and award the aforementioned contract for a period of up
to five (5) years, with an initial contract of three (3) years,
with an option to extend for a further period of up to two (2)
years in annual increments (3+1+1), following the procurement
process.
3.   
That Cabinet delegate authority to the Executive
Director of Place & Economy, to allow the contractor to issue
fixed penalty notices on behalf of West Northamptonshire Council,
in accordance with our Enforcement Policy.
 
 
REASONS RESOLVED:
1.   
The recommendations proposed will allow the Council
to continue an effective enforcement service across the whole of
West Northants.
2.   
The recommended course of action is the most
cost-effective for the Council to ensure that effective enforcement
to complement the work undertaken by the current Neighbourhood
Wardens.
3.   
The Council (or customers) will receive benefit from
the option proposed; enforcement and deterrent of environmental
crime supports the Live Your Best Life Ambition of a cleaner and
greener environment.
4.   
Supporting the recommendations of the report ensure
consistency with previous decisions to employ an external
contractor to carry out face to face enforcement in urban areas but
allows expansion and consistency across West Northants.
5.   
Supporting the recommendations is in line with
Council Enforcement Policy and the Littering and Fly Tipping
Charters approved by Members and currently in place.
6.   
The proposal has the potential to generate an amount
of income for WNC through enforcement carried out by the third
party.
 
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

·        
Cabinet may instead choose to keep environmental
enforcement entirely inhouse. This is a tried and tested approach
and has the benefit of being embedded within an integrated service.
However, it is more costly and less effective in terms of low-level
enforcement (and the numbers of FPN’s issued) and may be
unsustainable in the future. The Neighbourhood Wardens currently
carry out a community focussed role, and enforcement is just one
part of their duties, meaning the impact of enforcement for the
lower-level environmental crimes can be diluted. The number of
offences able to be dealt with through enforcement would reduce
significantly if the service remained in house only.

·        
Cabinet could choose not to undertake enforcement
action at all. This would achieve a negative revenue impact against
the current service model but would also be likely to have a
negative impact on matters such as cleanliness and safety in the
towns and villages of West Northants. It would also forgo the
benefits that could be achieved from the delivery model proposed in
this report, supporting the whole of West Northants with a robust
enforcement model.

·        
Cabinet could decide to ask for other ways of
delivering environmental enforcement activity to be identified,
developed and brought forward for its consideration.