Kensington and Chelsea is ramping up efforts to maintain clean streets by adding nine new officers to its street enforcement team, which already consists of 28 dedicated officers.
Kensington and Chelsea is taking a bold step towards becoming the cleanest borough in England with a new enforcement crackdown targeting fly-tipping, littering, and other environmental offences. The Council is ramping up efforts to maintain clean streets by adding nine new officers to its street enforcement team, which already consists of 28 dedicated officers.
The new recruits, provided by Kingdom Local Authority Support, will focus on tackling on-the-spot offences like littering, graffiti, and fly-posting, allowing the existing team to concentrate on more complex issues such as fly-tipping investigations.
“Our street enforcement team has handled tens of thousands of requests, and with extra manpower from Kingdom, we can hold more offenders accountable. With increased fines, this is a clear warning – we won’t tolerate abuse of our streets.”
-Cem Kemahli, lead member for planning and public realm
This crackdown follows the introduction of a new street enforcement team in 2024, which merged previous teams to better address a wider range of environmental crimes and anti-social behaviours. The expanded team aims to provide a more effective response to the growing challenges of maintaining public spaces and reducing environmental damage.
As part of this initiative, fines for offences will see a significant increase. The penalty for fly-tipping will rise from £400 to £1,000, while fines for littering, fly-posting, and graffiti will increase from £150 to £300. This escalation in penalties serves as a firm warning to residents and visitors that the Council will no longer tolerate environmental crimes.
Cllr Cem Kemahli, Lead Member for Planning and Public Realm, expressed his commitment to keeping the streets of Kensington and Chelsea spotless. “I want us to have the cleanest streets in England for everyone who lives and works in Kensington and Chelsea, as well as our thousands of visitors. Enforcement is the best deterrent against rubbish behaviour like littering or fly-tipping,” he said.
Cllr Kemahli also emphasised that this enhanced approach would increase accountability. “Our hard-working street enforcement team has dealt with tens of thousands of requests over the last year, but by bringing in extra manpower from Kingdom, we can hold more offenders to account. Fines are increasing too, so this is a warning to let everyone know we just won’t tolerate people abusing our streets – there will be consequences.”
In 2024, the street enforcement team responded to over 22,000 service requests and issued more than 2,000 fixed penalty notices. Their work includes investigating fly-tipping, enforcing regulations on littering, graffiti, and fly-posting, and managing public space protection orders.
The team also addresses issues like noisy vehicles, abandoned cars, and improperly presented waste. They collaborate with the police to patrol areas and engage with residents, ensuring a well-maintained environment for all.
Residents and businesses are encouraged to report any environmental issues they spot through the Council’s online form, ensuring that the streets of Kensington and Chelsea remain clean and welcoming for everyone.
