FOI release

Freedom of Information request - Litter enforcement and use of private contractors in England

Case reference FOI2026/00639

Received 25 June 2026

Published 22 July 2026

Request

BBC Morning Live would like to request the following information: 1. Does the council currently carry out litter enforcement activity (e.g. issuing fixed penalty notices for littering)? (Yes/No) 2. Does the council currently use any external/private companies or contractors to carry out litter enforcement? (Yes/No) 3. If yes, please provide: a) The name(s) of the company/companies b) The start date of the current contract(s) 4. Please provide details of any contractual arrangements with external enforcement providers that include: a) Commission-based payments b) Payments linked to the number of fines issued c) Revenue-sharing agreements 5. Since 10 March 2026, has the council: a) Reviewed its use of private contractors for litter enforcement? (Yes/No) b) Made any changes to its litter enforcement approach? (Yes/No) 6. If yes to either 5a or 5b, please provide a brief summary of the changes made. If any part of this request exceeds the cost limit, please prioritise questions 1-4. I would prefer the information in a spreadsheet format where possible. Yours faithfully, Evan Mathison BBC Morning Live ------------------------------------------------------------------- Please use this email address for all replies to this request: request-1463354-780e1e80@whatdotheyknow.com Is freedomofinformation@oxford.gov.uk the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to Oxford City Council? If so, please contact us using this form: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_request/new?body=oxford_city_council Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/officers For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-guidance-for-authorities https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-anonymisation-code Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed. If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

Response

In accordance with section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), Oxford City Council (OCC) confirms that it holds information falling within the scope of your request.

1. Does the council currently carry out litter enforcement activity (e.g. issuing fixed penalty notices for littering)? (Yes/No)

Yes.

2. Does the council currently use any external/private companies or contractors to carry out litter enforcement? (Yes/No)

No.

3. If yes, please provide:

As the response to question 2 is no, this information is not applicable.

4. Please provide details of any contractual arrangements with external enforcement providers that include:

Not applicable.

5. Since 10 March 2026, has the council:
a) Reviewed its use of private contractors for litter enforcement? (Yes/No)

No.

b) Made any changes to its litter enforcement approach? (Yes/No)

No.

6. If yes to either 5a or 5b, please provide a brief summary of the changes made. If any part of this request exceeds the cost limit, please prioritise questions 1-4. I would prefer the information in a spreadsheet format where possible.

As the response to questions 5a and 5b is no, this information is not applicable.

If you disagree with any part of the response to your request, you are entitled to ask the Council for an internal review of the decision(s) made. You may do this by writing to the Monitoring Officer, by either email monitoringofficer@oxford.gov.uk – or by post to Monitoring Officer, Oxford City Council, Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BX. After the result of the internal review, if you remain dissatisfied, you may ask the Information Commissioner to intervene on your behalf. You may do this by writing to the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Officer

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

This is Oxford City Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

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