Litter fines are set to double to £300 next year while the penalty for fly-tipping will jump from £400 to £750, reports Josh Mellor, Local Democracy Reporter

Waltham Forest Council will significantly increase fines for littering and fly-tipping next year in a bid to “maximise income”.

In a report published this week, the council set out increases to fees and charges for a range of services such as fines, parking permits, market pitches and graveyards.

Expected income from enforcement fines in 2024/25 will be £525,000, with litter fines doubling to £300 and fly-tipping fines jumping from £400 to £750.

The council and its third-party enforcement contractors have faced criticism from several residents who complained that they faced crippling £400 fines due to missed waste collections, misunderstanding collection times or their rubbish being moved.

Earlier this year council leader Grace Williams said the government’s plans to raise fly-tipping fines to £1,000 was “great news” due to the cost of cleaning up the borough.

The council’s overall income from fees and charges, which it reviews every year, is estimated to reach £47.5million next year.

More than half of this is from parking charges, which should bring in about £29m.

A standard residents’ permit will increase by 25% to £75 per year and a second permit jumping by 21% to £200.

Some bereavement charges, such as internments, 50-year burial rights and traditional graves will increase by as much as 41%, costing hundreds more for the service.

Most fees charged for council services are set to increase by 5-10%, including: music lessons, community care, venue hire, market pitches, sports pitches, food safety inspections, allotments, bin hire, car parks, marriages.

The council report on fees is due to be formally approved by cabinet next week, before a vote by all councillors at a meeting in February.

It notes that 5% increases are less than the rate of inflation.

To read the full list of fees and charges, click here and download “Appendix 1 – Fees and Charges Schedule”

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.