Coventry City Council backs call to toughen fly-tipping sentences
New figures show court fines are often lower than council-issued penalties, prompting calls for stronger enforcement
Coventry City Council is supporting a national push to urgently review sentencing guidelines for fly-tipping.
Recent data shows that offenders prosecuted through the courts often receive fines lower than the penalties councils can issue directly.
The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling on the Government and the Sentencing Council to take action.
Their recommendations include reviewing sentencing guidelines, ensuring court fines consistently exceed fixed penalty notices, imposing tougher sentences for repeat and organised offenders, and improving recovery of prosecution and investigation costs.
Due to these challenges, Coventry City Council frequently opts to issue fixed penalty fines, which result in a higher repayment rate.
Cllr Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council, said: “We are supportive of the campaign and have recently earmarked more investments to tackle and deter people from fly-tipping.
"The challenge is that the courts currently take so long and the fines are often low, and that’s why we have better results by issuing penalty fines.
"Costly prosecutions do not deliver justice for communities. Stronger sentencing would definitely help protect local neighbourhoods and support efforts to improve pride in place.”
The latest figures show the average court fine for fly-tipping is £539, compared with an average fixed penalty notice of £626 issued by councils.
Fly-tipping costs councils more than £19.3 million a year to clear up large-scale incidents, with 1.26 million incidents recorded in England in 2024/25 alone.
In addition to clean-up costs, councils invest significant officer time and legal resources in investigating offences and bringing cases to court.
Cllr Khan added: “Fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence that damages our local environment and takes valuable time and resources away from other frontline services.
"When court fines are lower than the penalties councils can issue, it sends the wrong message and weakens our ability to deter offenders.”
The council says stronger sentencing guidelines could help protect local communities, reduce environmental damage, and ensure that penalties reflect the seriousness of the crime.