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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of existing statutory guidance on litter and graffiti enforcement in improving public perceptions of safety.

The Government has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of existing statutory guidance on litter and graffiti enforcement in improving public perceptions of safety. The Government recognises that litter and graffiti can have a detrimental impact on local environmental quality and can affect how safe people feel in their communities.

Local councils are responsible for keeping their public land clear of litter, refuse and graffiti.

Advisory guidance on managing graffiti for local councils and businesses is available here.

The guidance outlines the options available to local councils and others for tackling these issues with examples of good practice.