Decision

At the meeting of the Joint Strategic Committee in July 2025 the committee delegated authority to the Deputy Chief Executive and Director for Economy, Regeneration & Climate to enter into a 12 month trial for environmental enforcement services across Worthing Borough Council and Adur District Council with National Enforcement Solutions Ltd (NES).

The scheme has been operational since October 2025. Officers have been monitoring the service and working with the contractor to review performance and adjust the service in response. This decision seeks to extend the pilot scheme from 5 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 to allow for an additional period of monitoring. During this extension period a procurement exercise will be completed to inform decisions regarding a longer term contract.

Reasons for the decision

The enforcement service has been successful and officers are working with the contractor to implement improvements. The extension to the trial will provide the opportunity to monitor these improvements and to complete the procurement exercise for a future contract.

Alternative options considered

The scheme could be terminated. However environmental enforcement is an important deterrent to address environmental offences.

Due to the specialist nature of the service and the resources required it is not possible to provide the service in house at this time.