Environmental Crime
Tuesday April 29th 2008, One Great George Street - London, 09:30 - 14:00
Tackling Environmental Crime: Towards Cleaner, Safer and Greener Neighbourhoods
“Ask communities what concerns them most about the area they live in and litter is near the top of list. Residents are right to expect their council to take a tough stance. I’m encouraged to see that more local authorities are using the powers Government has provided to penalise people who are ruining our streets with thoughtless offences like littering. But fixed penalty notices are only effective if local authorities take steps to ensure that they are paid – and, if they’re not, that effective action is taken at local level. I’m pleased to see that this has followed through in the results with an increase in payment rates, although there is still more to do.”
Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Local Environment Quality, 4 December 2007
Overview
Environmental crime is an ongoing problem that costs this country in excess of £1.5bn per year. In addition to the cost it incurs, environmental crimes, such as fly-tipping, littering and abandoning vehicles, all lower the quality of life for people living in the affected areas, and can lead to an increase in other types of crime. Nearly every community suffers from the effects of environmental crime and for that reason the government has sought to combat the problem by joining up with local authorities to reduce this problem.
In April 2006, a raft of new powers became available to local authorities, through the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, to tackle environmental crime and improve the quality of local neighbourhoods. The Act provides local authorities, parish and community councils and the Environment Agency with more effective powers and tools to tackle poor environmental quality and anti-social behavior. In particular, the Act includes sections on nuisance and abandoned vehicles, litter, graffiti, waste, noise and dogs.
Agenda
| 09:15 | Registration and Coffee |
| 10:00 | Chair’s Welcome Address Joe Tavernier, Chair of the Capital Standards Programme, Capital Standards and Director of Street Environment, Ealing Council |
| 10:10 | Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005: Tackling Environmental Crime Locally
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| 10:30 | Engaging Local Communities in the Fight Against Environmental Crime Louise Arnold, Group Director, Community Safety, ENCAMS |
| 10:50 | A Sustainable Waste Strategy for Local and Regional Government Nick Bethel, Waste Policy Manager, The Environment Agency |
| 11:15 | Ramifications of Environmental Crime on Anti-Social Behaviour Jo Gordon, Regional Deputy Director, Crime and Drugs, Government Office for London |
| 11:40 | Coffee and Networking |
| 12:00 | Questions and Answers Session |
| 12:50 | Chair’s Summary and Conclusions |
| 13:00 | Lunch and Networking |
| 14:00 | Close |
Audience
Delegates will be drawn from across the local authority landscape, both officers and members, including those working in environmental services, waste management and enforcement, street scene services and regeneration, community safety and crime reduction, legal services, town centre management as well as environment agency officials, industry representatives, police authorities, magistrates, central government departments, agencies & bodies, trade associations, and consultancies.