BRADFORD'S litter police could soon be patrolling the streets of the district's towns, villages and suburbs if a motion is passed by the Council tomorrow.

In 2017 Bradford Council brought in private firm 3GS to tackle litter louts. They would fine people for dropping litter, cigarette butts or chewing gum, letting their dogs foul pavements or committing anti-social acts like urinating or spitting in the street.

The move led to a huge rise in fixed penalty notices - with income rising from £1,700 in 2016 to £64,100 in 2017. And the number of people hauled before the courts for not paying fines rose from two in 2016 to 849 last year.

Income from fines is divided between the company and the Council, with money obtained by the Council going back into the street cleaning service.

But the patrols are mainly limited to Bradford city centre and Keighley.

At a meeting of the full Council tomorrow afternoon, Baildon Councillor Debbie Davies (Cons) will put forward a motion praising the rise in people being dealt with for littering, and calling for the patrols to expanded across the District.

If other Councillors back her motion, Cllr Davies says this could help offset planned cuts to the district' Street Cleansing budget - in the next financial year the Council will cut the budget for its in-house street cleaning service b y £1 million. This is likely to lead to 25 front line staff losing their jobs.

Cllr Davies' motion says: "The Council welcomes the news that private firm 3GS has been significantly more effective in tackling littering than the Council ever was.

"Clean streets are vital if we want to raise Bradford’s profile as a desirable place to live and to create a positive first impression for visitors and businesses considering relocating to the district.

"3GS primarily operates in city and town centres meaning little or no enforcement in villages and suburbs and the proposed cuts in the street cleansing budget will hit these areas hardest."

It then calls for: "The Council to consider in more detail the negative impact of its proposed cuts to the street cleansing budget and ensures the income from fixed penalty notices for litter go directly into street cleansing.

"The Council investigate whether 3GS can be used more widely; covering areas other than just city and town centres."

She also suggests the Council to make better use of the Community Payback scheme - with criminals carrying out community orders used to clear litter in problem areas.

Cllr Davies has also criticised the Council for failing to apply for external funding to tackle the litter issue. She says the government's Litter Innovation Fund could have brought an extra £10,000 to Council coffers to tackle littering, and calls for the Authority to apply for whatever funding it can in the future.

The full Council meeting will be held in City Hall at 4pm tomorrow.