POLITICIANS in Wrexham are set to consider how to enforce against littering in the wake of the departure of a controversial external firm.

Wrexham Council followed in the footsteps of other North Wales authorities by serving notice on Kingdom Services in October.

The company, which drew criticism over alleged ‘heavy handed’ tactics, was previously responsible for issuing £75 fixed penalty notices for littering and dog fouling in the county.

Since its officers left the area, the local authority has been providing a reduced in-house service, but staff have mostly been focused on parking offences.

Members of the homes and environment scrutiny committee are now being asked to consider how to tackle the issue of littering moving forward.

Options include maintaining the status quo, seeking another external company, partnering with other councils in the region or creating an enhanced in-house service.

In a report Cllr David A Bithell (Ind), lead member for environment and transport, said: “Environmental crime, particularly dog fouling, remains a significant issue and an area of concern for Wrexham’s communities.

“The enforcement service is receiving complaints from the public about offences which lead to requests for signage and enforcement patrols.

“Currently the existing team are deployed to deal with these matters while their main priority remains the civil enforcement of parking offences.”

Cllr Bithell said maintaining the current arrangements would come at no extra cost, but would only lead to ‘minimal’ enforcement against offences.

He said finding an external contractor could take up to six months as part of a tendering exercise and the costs would vary depending on the term agreed.

He added there had been a number of discussions with other local authorities in North Wales about working jointly, but the possibility now looks unlikely.

Cllr Bithell said: “Officers have been in continuous dialogue with all North Wales authorities about options and models for the delivery of environmental enforcement.

“These have included options from the establishment of in-house delivery teams coordinated centrally, to the implementation of a wide ranging external contract for provision of the services.

“While during the early stages of discussions there was generally wide scale agreement to the principles, in discussing detailed operational matters the discussions have been difficult and stalled.

“Dialogue remains with other authorities however the desire has significantly reduced and many councils have either determined to utilise internal teams or are testing the external market for options and opportunities.”

Among the areas which chose to go it alone was neighbouring Flintshire, where an enhanced in-house service is being created.

Should Wrexham choose to increase its own team of enforcement officers, councillors will be told it could take up to nine months subject to securing

funding.

However, Cllr Bithell warned it would dilute the existing enforcement priorities and place pressure on the department’s budget.

The options will be discussed by councillors at a meeting next Wednesday.