Canterbury's littering and graffiti fine would go from £200 to £300, with fly-tipping split into £500 and £1,000 levels. Councillors discuss it on 5 November.
The fine for dropping litter or graffiti in the Canterbury district would rise from £200 to £300, under plans going to councillors on Thursday 5 November. Paying early would cost £200, double today’s £100.
Small fly-tipping cases would actually get cheaper. The flat £1,000 penalty would split into two levels, with the lower one at £500.
The report goes to the Overview Committee at 7pm at the Guildhall. Cabinet then makes the decision. No public consultation is required for these amounts.
The proposed fines
| Offence | Now | Now, if paid early | Proposed | Proposed, if paid early |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Littering and graffiti | £200 | £100 | £300 | £200 |
| Fly-tipping | £1,000 | No reduction | £500 or £1,000 | No reduction |
| Household waste duty of care | £500 | £300 | £600 | £400 |
The duty of care offence applies when a householder hands waste to someone who then dumps it, or does not check they are licensed.
How the two fly-tipping levels would work
The £500 level would normally cover small amounts of non-hazardous waste:
- up to about one cubic metre
- clearance and disposal costing less than £250
- limited impact, and normally no relevant recent offending
The £1,000 level would apply automatically to anyone who already has a £500 notice. It would normally also cover larger dumps, higher-risk waste, sensitive locations, commercial activity or persistent offending.
Serious cases could still go to prosecution. These include hazardous waste, organised dumping and dumping into a watercourse.
Why now
National rules changed on 1 September. The government raised the most a council can charge for littering from £500 to £750, and for fly-tipping from £1,000 to £5,000. Officers are not recommending the maximums, saying there is not enough local evidence that they are needed.
Here is how the plan compares with neighbours, using the report’s snapshot of published amounts. It warns these may change as other councils review theirs.
| Council | Littering | Fly-tipping |
|---|---|---|
| Canterbury (proposed) | £300 / £200 | £500 or £1,000 |
| Thanet | £100 | £1,000 / £400 |
| Gravesham | £500 | £1,000 |
| Maidstone | £250 / £200 lower tier; £500 higher tier | £600 / £520 lower tier; £1,000 higher tier |
| Medway | £150 / £90 | £750 / £500 |
Who gets the money
A contractor, National Enforcement Solutions, handles littering enforcement. The council receives 35% of the income from paid notices and the contractor 65%. The report says officers are salaried and are not paid commission on the number of notices.
It lists “perverse incentives arising from income sharing” as a risk, to be managed with monthly monitoring, body-worn video checks and independent review of representations. Officers warn against assuming extra income, because higher fines could mean more unpaid notices and prosecutions.
What it means for you
- If you get a notice, you can make representations and give mitigating information. That can lead to a cancellation, more time or a payment arrangement.
- If someone takes your rubbish away, check they are a registered waste carrier. The fine for not doing so would be £600.
- Littering fines were not part of the unlawful PSPO problem, which concerned separate orders.
If Cabinet agrees, the effect would be reviewed after 12 months. Our tip opening times page shows where to take waste legally. The meeting will be streamed on YouTube.
Have your say