OLDHAM Council has been heavily criticised after it emerged fly tipping rates in the borough had almost quadrupled.
According to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), there were 5,903 incidents in 2021/22, up from 1,572 in the previous year.
That came against an overall drop in the north west and Liberal Democrat councillor Howard Sykes slammed Labour council bosses over their “abysmal” record on environmental crime.
A Freedom of Information response provided to the party group earlier this year revealed that fewer fly-tipping fines were being meted out – just 33 in 2022, down from 50 in 2020.
Oldham Council also confirmed only 64 littering fines were issued in 2022, down from 194 in 2020, when Covid restrictions were still in place.
New CCTV cameras designed to combat the issue were put in place – but Saddleworth, where bulk dumping had taken place, was not on the list of areas they were installed.
And Cllr Sykes has had enough, saying: “We hear a lot of talk about the success of campaigns like Don’t Trash Oldham but the reality is Labour haven’t got a grip on environmental crime.
These numbers are shocking. The fact is, Labour have refused to listen to common sense solutions.
“Liberal Democrats have proposed practical action and found the cash to crack down on people who blight our communities with these offences.
“But Labour councillors chose to vote against more enforcement and a tougher approach.
“The blame for the rise in fly tipping lies squarely with the Labour administration. They have absolutely no grasp on the basics.”
“Environmental Crime,” is load of rubbish anyway, (pun intended,) if perhaps not quite so much in Saddleworth, there are a lot of people, (having to chose between eating and heating is a cliche but one with some truth to it nonetheless,) on very low or unreliable incomes who simply can’t afford to pay £30 for, (an as often as not also unreliable,) bulk waste collection.
There are also many people without transport who simply can’t get to the tip, assuming it’s even open.
There are also a lot of people who simply don’t give a damn.
In ether instance prosecution, is both expensive and ineffective since since many of them will be equally unable to or indifferent to any fine that may be imposed; so are we really going to start send people to jail for, “littering ?”
The contrast between Cllr Sykes’s empty bombast and endless hot air and the bloke, (as a volunteer,) that I occasionally encounter in and around Delph picking up litter in the early morning is striking.
Typically, “Absolutely, “Something must be done, but just not be me; dear me no.”
This whole issue has completely left the rails and is now utterly bereft of even the most basic a common sense.
The less said about all the money that’s been wasted on the equally ineffective, “Don’t Trash Oldham,” campaign the better.