New rules to tackle flyposting and stickering come into force tomorrow (Wednesday 1 February), Brighton and Hove City Council said today.
The council plans to use the new rules to target venues and promoters because it can be hard to catch flyposters and bill stickers in the act.
Just 26 “fixed penalty notices” were issued in the past three years, the council said, so it will use a new system of “community protection warnings” and “community protection notices”.
Anyone who ignores a community protection notice could face a £100 fixed penalty notice. And anyone spotted flyposting and stickering still could still be issued with a fixed penalty notice for £150.
If a fixed penalty notice is not paid or remedial work is not completed, a court order may be served. On conviction, this can result in a fine of up to £2,500 for individuals or £20,000 for businesses. The council will also look to recover costs.
In a case at Brighton Magistrates’ Court three years ago, Patrick Robinson, then 22, of Egremont Place, Brighton, was fined £600 for failing to pay a fixed penalty notice for flyposting a bus shelter in Lewes Road.
The flyers advertised Patterns, a venue in Marine Parade, Brighton, and the court ordered Robinson to pay £350 towards the council’s court costs.
The council said: “The new measures will see community protection warnings issued to individuals, promoters, businesses or organisations suspected of causing the problem.
“The community protection warning will ask them to take reasonable steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
“If the behaviour persists, a community protection notice may be served when the recipient of a community protection warning fails to comply.”
A report to councillors said: “Flyposting and stickering looks unsightly and costs the council thousands of pounds to remove.
“At present, fixed penalty notices (FPN) are issued to those witnessed flyposting. For a FPN to be issued, an environmental enforcement officer must witness the crime being committed which is difficult, as evidenced by the number of FPNs issued
- 2019-20 – 16
- 2020-21 – 2
- 2021-22 – 8
…
“By issuing community protection warnings and community protection notices to the individuals and bodies responsible for the flyposting, the council can seek to improve the cleanliness of the city as this is a much more cost-effective way than issuing FPNs.”
The council added: “Flyposting is putting up advertisements, posters, banners or stickers on properties, lampposts, telephone boxes or other structures on the streets, without consent. It is illegal.”
To report flyposting, click here.
Green councillor Elaine Hills, who co-chairs the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “Flyposting spoils the look and feel of our city.
“It is difficult and costly to remove flyposters and stickers and they often cause damage to property and other structures on our streets.
“We’re introducing community protection warnings and community protection notices to tackle flyposting more effectively.
“It means that we can target the clubs, promoters and advertisers who cause most of our flyposting issues and put responsibility back on the offender to remove the flypost.
“Our priority is to make sure that Brighton and Hove remains a wonderful place to live, work and visit and the new measures will hopefully deter flyposters and keep our streets looking clean and tidy.”
Yes – Green cllr Hills – always trying to do the best for our city!
And may we please have heavy fines for graffiti morons and cyclists riding on pavements?
Those already exist, Hendrik.
Having belatedly realised (duh!) that elections are imminent and that they will hopefully be decimated, as they thoroughly deserve, the Greens have not chosen to deal proactively with all the issues that taxpayers want dealt with urgently (like weeds, toilets and many more things) but have picked on something that they can just issue fines for without actually doing anything – just as with graffiti on non-public buildings. You couldn’t mke them up.
What about action on tagging and graffiti which the
Greens have allowed to blight Brighton? Action that targets the taggers not the victims of tagging.