Accused of "abject failure" to crack down on those who dump rubbish
Merton's Conservative Councillors have slammed the Labour-run council for their failure to clean up the borough's streets and come down hard on the scourge of fly-tipping.
Conservatives have outlined their plans to increase enforcement and create a cleaner environment for Merton residents. Amongst a number of proposals to improve the environment for local residents, a Conservative motion at last week’s Full Council meeting demanded a crackdown on those responsible for dumping rubbish in Merton’s streets and parks.
Results of the Annual Residents Survey showed falling satisfaction rates with the council's street cleaning service and more and more residents concerned about the amount of street rubbish.
The most recent figures from the council show that fly-tipping increased in the first two months of the 2014-15 financial year and levels are now considerably higher than a year ago. If they continue at this rate then residents will suffer an increase in fly tipping of nearly 40% compared to last year. Meanwhile the number of prosecutions has slumped by a massive 80% since Labour took control of the council in 2010.
Speaking after the meeting, Councillor David Dean, Conservative Environment Spokesman said: "Labour councillors have taken their eye off the ball when it comes to keeping our borough clean and tidy. They cut the number of street sweepers, and claimed that introducing a bulky waste collection service would help eliminate the scourge of fly tipping. Yet in fact fly tipping has increased by 34% since 2011 and, if that weren't bad enough, latest figures indicate the problem will get even worse this year.
"Is this any surprise when culprits in Merton operate with impunity? Labour's record on punishing those who fly tip is abysmal. Since 2010, the number of prosecutions against fly tippers has dropped from 33 a year to just six.
"Conservatives understand that residents are fed up with rubbish-strewn streets and parks. The council's own survey showed just 43% of people in Wimbledon and 44% in Colliers Wood are satisfied with how Merton deals with fly tipping. That needs to change which is why back in March we proposed employing more permanent staff to track down and prosecute those who blight our communities. When will this Labour council start to listen?"
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July 21, 2014
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