Press release issued today April 10 following the Government’s announcement of a crackdown on fly-tipping.
Commenting on the Government’s new strategy to combat fly-tipping announced today, April 10, Jim Deen, Worthing Labour said:
We welcome the Government’s announcement of new measures to combat the menace of fly-tipping, but these measures will only have some effect in the Worthing area if West Sussex County Council listens to the instructions of its own Government.
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom has told Councils to end the ‘unfair’ practice of charging residents to use waste and recycling units. She says what Labour has been saying for the last few months, that charges are “a lead factor in the rise of fly-tipping”.
WSCC introduced charges for a range of waste materials, including DIY waste and plasterboard, at its centres just over six months ago. Recent figures showed this had resulted in a dramatic drop in the amount of these materials being taken to waste centres and a sharp increase in the reports of fly-tipping around the county.
Just this week Teville Gate was the latest target for fly-tippers with a large amount of DIY waste being left there (See attached pictures). Whilst it is obviously wrong for people to create their own waste centre – open 24/7, with no charges – fly-tipping is going to be an increasing problem unless the County Council scraps these charges.
At the same time as scrapping the charges, it should also return the waste centres to 7-day operation. Closing the centres on Thursday and Friday is causing increased pressure on the other days with long queues to get in. This factor is also likely to increase fly-tipping.
All Labour’s candidates in the forthcoming County Council elections are committed to getting the charges removed and restoring the waste and recycling centres to 7-day opening. We are fully committed to encouraging recycling of all waste materials.
Postscript, Tuesday 11 April.
This is getting rather spooky. My first blog on here called for the National Insurance hike for the self-employed announced in the budget to be scrapped. And within a week it was.
I posted this call to West Sussex County Council to scrap its charges for DIY waste. And within 24 hours they had been – well at least they have been suspended.
I feel I have to chose my next target carefully. Withdrawal of planning consent from major developments in Worthing offering no affordable housing and no financial contribution either. That looks favourite.