Keeping Britain tidier
February 27th 2008 ENCAMS is an independent charity concerned with the issues that affect local environmental quality including litter, graffiti, dog fouling, fly-posting and flytipping.
It also works to reduce anti-social behaviour. It is responsible for running the Keep Britain Tidy campaign which encourages the public not to drop litter but instead use a bin. The campaigns are targeted at the different culprits responsible for making our streets a mess.
It operates the Cleaner Safer Greener Network which is a programme for large land owners such as councils and housing associations. It offers guidance and support to all its members as well as discounted training courses, an annual conference and the opportunity to share best practice. ENCAMS also runs the Blue Flag and Quality Coast beach award schemes,the Eco-Schools programme and offers expertise to help areas improve their local environmental quality.
The year ahead
2008 looks to be an interesting year for ENCAMS, least of all because it sees the start of its new Chief Executive, Phil Barton (formerly of RENEW Northwest) who joins the organisation in March.
Last year ENCAMS underwent a major restructure which saw the creation of a new Business Development department. The team offers expertise to a range of areas: housing, community safety and town centre management, local government, regional government and market research & campaigning with the aim of improving local environmental quality, reassuring communities and reducing anti social behaviour.
ENCAMS knows that the issues surrounding local environmental quality are not just a concern for councils and central government. The responsibility for looking after our communities also falls to the likes of housing associations, town centre managers and crime and reduction partnerships. That’s why a dedicated team with the experience and expertise from each field was established to offer guidance and support.
“We have a long term and close knit relationship with central, regional and local government which is a catalyst to work with a wide array of land managers and landowners who are also benefiting from joint support and partnering,” said David Smith, Business Development Director at ENCAMS.
Throughout 2008 ENCAMS seeks to continue to build on its relationships with these organisations offering a range of services including those that can help identify exactly what local environment problems an area suffers from, the causes and solutions on how to tackle them and the public perception of the areas.
Campaigning under the guise of Keep Britain Tidy for over 50 years has meant ENCAMS certainly has a great foundation and level of experience when it comes to campaigns and market research. Under the re-structure it now has a new team that can offer tailored market research and local campaigns specific to the needs of, for example, an authority’s town centre or a ‘New Deal for Communities’ area. This could be a survey that gauges the public’s perception of an area and its environmental services, the results of which can indicate how an authority can improve.
One of the key areas that ENCAMS would like to engage further with in 2008 is regional government, explains David: “We believe that there’s a real opportunity to improve the state of our streets through the Regional Development Agencies and Assemblies as well as Economic Partnerships; the North West liveability foundation is a great example. Not only do they wield a lot of power but they also offer a great forum to share success – offering the ideal situation for organisations to work together and share good practice. More articles from Encams (The Tidy Britain Group): | 
