The company behind litter enforcement in Northampton has again denied staff are set daily and monthly ticket targets despite evidence put forward by a former worker.

Kingdom is contracted by West Northamptonshire Council to hand out fines for littering across the town and wider region.

A screenshot from a Kingdom enforcement tablet, which carries the WNC logo and seen by the Chronicle & Echo, appears to show staff were given daily “target tickets”. In the screenshot the former member of staff had missed most targets, but hit two.

A payslip, also seen by the Chron, shows “CSA bonus payments” listed alongside basic pay. In one example, an enforcement officer received £640 in bonus payments.

Despite Kingdom insisting its staff aren’t set quotas, a screenshot from a worker’s device tells a different story - with a “target tickets” column showing how many fines officers were expected to issue each day.

placeholder image — Despite Kingdom insisting its staff aren’t set quotas, a screenshot from a worker’s device tells a different story - with a “target tickets” column showing how many fines officers were expected to issue each day.

Kingdom, which has previously denied any targets exist, has again refuted the claims that staff are targeted to achieve set numbers of tickets. The company also says that the CSA bonus payments are not linked to fixed penalty notices.

Last year, a former Kingdom worker told Chronicle & Echo of the “grim reality” of working for the company and how staff were under pressure to meet targets and were financially rewarded for issuing more fines. Kingdom denied this at the time.

The ex-employee, who spent 15 months with the company and became a team leader, previously said: “They expect a minimum number of tickets a day, which is five a day, or 100 tickets a month per person. A fine is between £100 and £150. It’s based on commission after 10 tickets a week; anything after 10, you earn £5 a ticket. You are financially incentivised to ticket more people. The council also gets 40 percent of each ticket issued.

“With their new contract, they want a minimum of 600 tickets a month in total, regardless of how many staff are there.”

The revelation comes as Kingdom faces growing criticism over its enforcement tactics in Northampton.

In recent months, dog walkers at Far Cotton Rec, Hunsbury Hill Country Park and Abington Park have complained of being fined £100 under disputed circumstances. In several cases, signs at the parks were found to be small, unclear, or contradictory about whether dogs had to be kept on leads.

Independent councillor Julie Davenport (Delapre and Rushmills ward) said: “I do find it disturbing that enforcement officers are given set, financially incentivised, targets because their desperation to get paid could foster practices that the council would not support. I’ve been told of enforcement officers following vulnerable people.

“The incidents of illegal fines on Far Cotton Rec could have been because of set targets. We know the council are strapped for cash but unfair practices such as the ones conveyed to me are not the way to resolve financial problems.”

In response to the new evidence, Kingdom once again denied setting targets for enforcement officers.

Kingdom said: “We would like to confirm that Kingdom does not set enforcement targets for individual officers, nor are CSA payments linked to Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued by officers.

“These allowances recognise officers who go above and beyond their enforcement duties by supporting the community, such as providing first aid, reporting safety hazards, or assisting councils with improvements that benefit residents.

“We remain committed to fostering a collaborative partnership with councils and communities. Our officers are expected to act professionally at all times, and any behaviour falling short of these standards will be addressed promptly.”

WNC also defended its partnership with Kingdom. This newspaper asked WNC: What does WNC make of Kingdom giving targets to enforcement workers and paying them bonuses? Is the aim to make the county tidier or is it to ticket as many people as possible? In light of this new evidence, will WNC look to re-evaluate its contract with Kingdom?

A council spokesman said: “We know that tackling littering and other environmental offences is a top priority for our residents, and we’re committed to putting our efforts where they matter most. That’s why, earlier this year, we expanded our enforcement work through a partnership with Kingdom Local Authority Support for the whole of West Northamptonshire.

“The service is self-financed through the revenue generated from fines issued for offences, making the initiative both effective and economical. As with all contracts, the council monitors performance to ensure the process is fair and in line with contract conditions. Any concerns relating to officer conduct should be reported directly to us so we can carry out a robust investigation.”