Councils 'seek clarification' over how private litter firm operates
Some councils are ‘seeking clarification’ over the working practices of a firm brought in to police the region’s dog fouling and littering.
Kingdom Security, which recorded profits of £9m last year, is currently tasked with handing out fines across Flintshire, Wrexham, Conwy, Denbighshire and Anglesey.
But despite accusations that staff are given incentives to dish out as many fines as possible, the firm says that bonuses “are not solely” linked to the volume of fixed penalties.
Agreements in place with North Wales authorities mean Kingdom retains most of the revenue from each ticket, leading to arguments it encourages them to issue as many fines as possible.
In Wrexham, 3,153 fines were issued between April and September 2016, generating £263,475.
But the authority received “no more than £30,000” of that, receiving criticism for sacrificing cash that could have been spent on local services.
In Denbighshire, for every £75 fixed penalty notice served for littering, Kingdom is paid £45 commission, with a broadly similar arrangement in Conwy.
But on Anglesey, while the county council pays nothing to Kingdom, it receives only a 5% cut of every fine – £3.75.
The firm also pockets 85% of fixed penalty revenue in Flintshire.
Its staff have attracted controversy since the very start, being criticised for their “zero tolerance” approach.
The company strongly denies allegations that staff were paid bonuses of up to £1000 for the number of fines dished out, stressing that enforcement encourages the public to keep their streets neat and tidy.
But its practices have yet again come under question.
In March, the Daily Post reported that pay slips showed staff being encouraged to give out as many tickets for littering as possible.
While on Monday evening’s Panorama programme, an undercover BBC reporter recorded a Kent-based staff member admitting received bonuses for more frequent fines, with another admitting he was “going to give out tickets like Smarties.”
Civil liberties pressure group, the Manifesto Club, has accused wardens of behaving like ‘litter stasi’ with the number of fines rising by almost 2000% from 727 in 2005 to over 140,000 in 2015.
While none of the incidents highlighted took place in north Wales, some of the region’s councils have admitted they are reviewing their arrangements following the latest allegations.
A spokesman for Conwy Council told the Daily Post: “We are seeking clarification from Kingdom regarding issues raised in the Panorama programme to ensure the council is satisfied with Kingdom’s practices, as we would with any contractor.”
Meanwhile, a Denbighshire Council spokesman said: “We will review the content of the programme and decide whether we need to be taking any appropriate steps to address any issues highlighted by the programme.”
But Anglesey Council, who only started using Kingdom earlier this month, say the “overwhelming majority” of responses so far have been positive.
A spokesman for Kingdom, told the Daily Post: “Kingdom staff undertake a comprehensive training program, are paid at least the living wage and can be paid an additional competency allowance which is not solely linked to FPN numbers.
“In addition, our service operates under some of the tightest legal guidelines which set the FPN level and affords anybody the right to appeal to the council or/and challenge with the courts if they choose.
“Kingdom takes all complaints seriously and welcomes all feedback as it strives to help Keep Britain Tidy’’.
