FOI request (FOIR-863849961)

FOI request - graffiti removal and enforcement costs

Requested Sat 08 August 2026
Responded Fri 28 August 2026

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Response

Data for the financial year ended 31 March 2026 please see attached spreadsheet providing the relevant data together with Pivot Tables breaking down the estimated expenditure.

 

In July 2019 the street cleaning contract came in house. Graffiti is not budgeted for separately and is included in the wider Street Cleansing budget. As all of our teams within Street Cleansing are multi discipline our budget is not broken down to that level. In 2018-19 the cost per item removed was calculated at £38 per item and this would equate to £49 today using the Bank of England inflation calculator. However, some costs will have reduced as prior to the contract coming in house council staff would receive the reports and notify the contractor.

 

Response time is dependent on obtaining permissions from land/property owner, availability of equipment, type of graffiti etc.

 

Priority is given for removing graffiti that is offensive.

 

The clearance of graffiti on council-owned property largely relates to council-owned buildings, litter bins, some bus shelters, car parks, Hastings cemetery and its grounds, toilet blocks and some park facilities.

 

There is limited enforcement on the graffiti issue as this type of action has had very limited impact and success in the past.

 

Based on this:

 

1. The total amount spent by Hastings Borough Council on graffiti removal and cleaning = £29,253.

 

2. The total amount spent on graffiti-related enforcement, including staff costs where these can reasonably be identified = N/A.

 

3. The number of incidents of graffiti removed or cleaned by the Council during that year = 597.

 

4. The number of enforcement notices, fixed penalties or prosecutions relating to graffiti issued during that year, together with any income received from fines or penalties = N/A.

 

5. If available, the amount spent removing graffiti from Council-owned property compared with graffiti removed from privately owned property = £4,655 council-owned against £24,598 private.

Attachments

• FOIR-863849961_FOIR-863849961_1-FOI863849961.xlsx