A councillor has defended the record of the team brought in to target anti-social behaviour after it was claimed they didn’t patrol outside of Spalding enough
Coun Paul Barnes raised the issue at a meeting of South Holland District Council claiming that data available to councillors stated the team had only been outside of the district’s largest town once in September.
“There are 1,538 fixed penalty notices issued in the district, 1,334 of those in the Spalding Castle ward alone and of those, 1,239 were for dropping cigarettes,” said the ward member for Fleet. “I don’t really think we’ve grasped the issue here.
“Dropping a cigarette is littering, but we don’t seem to be educating people and we’re certainly not getting out and about.
“The report states in September there was one enviro-crime team that went to Sutton roundabout. All the rest were in Spalding.
“I’m pleased Fleet doesn’t exist. We must be the cleanest ward in South Holland as they’ve never been out to our village.”
Coun Anthony Casson, the portfolio holder for environment told the council meeting: “Kingdom are doing a good job.
“In the four years proceeding the Kingdom contract there were only a total of 30 fixed penalty notices issued for fly tipping in the district.
“Since the Kingdom contract being awarded in April 2023 there have been 84 FPNs issued including 20 in the last three months.
“I have complaints that they don’t go out in Spalding much, but they most certainly do.
“I’ve been out with them several times. I’ve also been out with them in Holbeach, Long Sutton, Sutton Bridge, Pinchbeck, Gosberton, Donington and Crowland and they go to other places as well.
He added later: “Yes, they out in Spalding more as that’s where the main footfall is.”
Coun Casson also told the meeting he would look to arrange a meeting with parish councils which might want CCTV coverage.
