Less than 50 fines have been issued over a two year period for people caught littering in Reading.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Reading Borough Council has revealed that only 36 fines over two years.
These fines are called fixed penalty notices (FPNs), which can result in legal prosecution if they are not paid.
In the last two years from April 2023 to this March, the council has issued 36 FPN for litter offences, coming with a charge of £80.
No fines were issued for dog fouling over the same period.
Reacting to the FOI, councillor Rob White (Green, Park) leader of the opposition said: “It is disappointing that so few fines have been issued over the last two years.
“From the information Green councillors obtained from the council earlier in the year, I understand that the 36 fines issued for littering over the last two years were all issued last year.
“Zero fines for littering have been issued this year!
“Green councillors have long argued that the Labour-run council needs to properly resource the teams responsible for emptying bins and tackling litter and fly-tipping.
“Under resourcing these teams means that we will have overflowing bins, more litter on the ground and more dumped rubbish.
“The Labour government also needs to act on packaging.
“Reducing pointless packaging and making sure that it is reusable or recyclable will reduce the mountain of waste councils have to tackle.”
Cllr White also blasted the council for the low number of FPNs issued for fly-tipping.
Although 124 fly-tipping incidents have been reported each month, just 18 fines were issued by the council each month from April 2024 to October 2024.
He raised the issue in a question he asked during a full council meeting in January.
At the time, Karen Rowland (Labour, Abbey) lead councillor for environmental services and community safety said: “Fly-tipping and littering is proliferated by an unscrupulous few, the results of which adversely affects the majority of residents who manage to do the right thing by blighting the local environment and reducing residents’ positivity about where they live.”
She went on to announce that the council would be entering into a ‘zero cost partnership arrangement’ to boost littering fines for a 12 month trial period.
The partnership came into effect at the start of this month, after a decision by the council’s housing, neighbourhoods and leisure committee in March.
The FPN charge for dropping litter and graffiti has been set at £500, with a reduction to £100 if paid within 10 days from the date on the issued FPN.
Fines for fly-tipping have also increased to £1,000 from £400, and the incorrect disposal of household waste to £600 from £400.
