Litter

(asked on 17th July 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 60 of the 2017 Litter Strategy for England, what progress the Government has made in reviewing the mechanism by which councils and other land-managers are held to account for maintaining their land to the standards set out in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse.


Answered by
Thérèse Coffey Portrait
Thérèse Coffey
This question was answered on 23rd July 2018

The initial meetings of the roadside litter working group agreed on the need to improve councils’ enforcement powers against littering from vehicles as a priority. With effect from April 2018, we have given district councils in England outside London (London boroughs already have similar powers) new powers to hold the keeper of a vehicle responsible for littering offences committed from it.

During 2017-18, Defra has prioritised work to deliver the Government’s commitments relating to enforcement. As part of that work, we have proposed an amendment to the Code of Practice to incorporate the improved guidance on enforcement.

During 2018-19, we will take forward a broader update and review of the Code of Practice, and will work with HM Prison & Probation Service to explore opportunities to promote activities involving clearing litter and fly-tipped waste as part of Community Payback schemes, in circumstances in which community volunteers are unlikely to be operating.

As set out in the Litter Strategy, we are committed to providing an annual report on our progress for the rest of this Parliament. Our first annual report on delivery of the Litter Strategy will be published shortly, providing an update on our progress to date, and setting out some of the further activities we intend to take forward over the next year.

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