Fines for rubbish dumping have more than trebled since Westminster Council adopted Labour’s zero-tolerance policy of immediate fines for those responsible for illegal rubbish dumping.

In October 2021, the Council issued 805 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs). This compares with 255 FPNs in September 2021, 334 FPNs in February 2020 and 447 FPNs in October 2019.

Labour launched its 5-point plan for tackling growing illegal rubbish dumping in 2019, but it has taken until last month for the Council to see sense and to start adopting Labour’s practical, common-sense approach. Labour’s 5-point plan, which the Council is being urged to adopt in full, comprises:

• A zero-tolerance policy of immediate fines for those responsible for rubbish dumping. The current practice of sending “educational letters” to residents and business around dumping hot-spots is clearly having little impact.
• CCTV cameras located at dumping hot-spots to catch those responsible. Other local councils do this and have succeeded in catching those responsible.
• Regular patrols of dumping hot-spots by city inspectors to signal to residents that this issue is a priority for the city council.
• Closer liaison with landlords and estate agents to ensure that they know that they face heavy fines if they, or their tenants, or their building contractors, dump furniture, household goods, and builders’ rubble on the roads and pavements.
• Planters at known dumping hot-spots to discourage dumping by “beautifying” the area. This worked very successfully at the junction of Ashmore and Shirland roads, which used to be the worst dumping hot-spot in Westminster.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Labour’s City Management spokesperson, said:

“Issuing immediate fines for illegal rubbish dumping will ensure that ‘the polluter pays’ and help to change the anti-social behaviour of the small minority of residents, visitors and businesses who ruin the local environment for everyone else.”

“The Council spends £50 million a year on the rubbish collection contract with Veolia – that’s £1 million a week – and yet the streets are still littered with dumped plastic bags of rubbish and street corners are regular dumping grounds for mattresses, fridges, cookers and old furniture. The Council needs to continue to take a hard line with those people and businesses responsible for this unacceptable behaviour.”