Amy Gastman, who runs Crumb bakery in Camden Passage

THE owner of a small business in Angel has criticised the “unfair” way in which they are “squeezed”, after receiving an £800 fine for an alleged fly-tipping offence.

Amy Gastman, who runs Crumb bakery in Camden Passage, said that a member of staff made an “honest mistake” and put a bag of store waste next to a council bin. She then received a personal call from the council demanding she pay a fine of £400, rising to £800 if not made within a week, to a third-party company.

Islington Council outsources its waste management to a company based in Newcastle.

She persistently called and emailed both the company and the Town Hall to appeal the decision, which was eventually approved, and the fine reversed. But despite this reversal, Ms Gastman said waste management outsourcing was just one example of small hospitality businesses being “squeezed” by the government. She said that these central systems are upheld and executed by local authorities.

Ms Gastman told the Tribune: “It feels harsh to be slapped with an £800 fine for what was a one-off, honest mistake. I don’t think it’s fair to dish out this much money, especially in the current climate in terms of taxes and business rates, where local businesses are being squeezed.

“I think that a three-strike rule would be far more appropriate. Every person I spoke to from the council listened and understood my point of view, I actually think they are doing a good job. But outsourcing things like waste collection to a company that doesn’t care about anything other than making money kind of takes away the point of having a council, they should be embedded in the community.

“My bugbear with it is that luckily I had time that week to spend on emailing and calling people to get it sorted. Most small business owners don’t have the time or the knowledge to do that.

“Things could definitely be easier for business owners. Central government unfortunately doesn’t care about small businesses, we are not their priority.”

Ms Gastman also runs Eat By Amy, which is a wholesale vegan bakery near Essex Road.

A spokesperson for Islington Council said: “The government sets the penalty for fly-tipping offences within a range of £500 to £1,000. Islington issues fixed penalty notices at £800, which is reduced to £400 if paid within 14 days of issue or within 14 days following the outcome of an unsuccessful appeal. When businesses sign up to a commercial waste contract, they are advised that all waste must be presented correctly. This includes placing it outside only in authorised, pre-paid sacks at the appropriate time and location.

“In this particular case, the fixed penalty notice was cancelled due to a technical procedural issue on the council’s part. However, the original offence was the responsibility of the business and would not necessarily lead to a successful appeal in different circumstances.”