Cllr Sam Stopp (Wembley Central) has asked me to let Wembley Matters readers know that he is to head up a Scrutiny Committee Task Force on fly-tipping which will report back in November.
A key facet of the project will be engaging residents from across Brent to understand the impact of fly-tipping on their lives and how they would like to see the Council address it.
Residents can have input by emailing Cllr Stopp at
He will be happy to set up individual meetings with interested people.
As background here is Brent Council's response to an FoI request (June 2015) LINK
1. Please could you tell me the number of fly-tipping incidents that have been
reported to the London Borough of Brent for the following date periods, i.e.
March 2014 - May 2015
16,077 incidents of fly tipping were reported from March 2014 to May 2015
2. Please can you inform me of the number of Fixed Penalty Notices that have
been given out in the London Borough of Brent for fly-tipping for the following
date periods, i.e. March 2014 - May 2015
There is no fixed penalty notice relating to fly tipping. In a number of cases Brent
officers use a littering fixed penalty notice for what could be deemed low level fly
tipping, but it is not possible to separate these cases from other littering cases.
3. Please can you inform me of the number of successful convictions secured
for fly-tipping in the London Borough of Brent for the following date periods,
i.e. March 2014 - May 2015
Brent Council had ten successful prosecutions for fly tipping between March 2014
and May 2015.
4. Please can you inform me of the cost for cleaning up fly-tipping in the
Fly tipping clearance is carried out by our contractor Veolia as part of the Public
Realm contract. This contract includes refuse and recycling collections, street
cleansing, grounds maintenance and burials and due to the structure of the contract
there is no separate cost for the clearance of fly tips.
The Environment Agency ‘flycapture’ database uses estimations to predict fly tip
clearance costs. Using these estimations, Brent costs for March 2014 to May 2015
were circa £700,000.
Good to see Cllr Stopp recognising that this blog is a far better way of reaching residents than his own tedious little offering.
ReplyDeleteDamned if he does listen, damned if he doesn't...
DeleteThere's a difference between showboating, which us what this is, to actually listening. The whole thing is nonsense - Cllr Stopp wants to know what the impact of flytipping is on residents lives and how to tackle it. Answer - residents hate living in filthy streets and we want the council to 1) catch people doing it and take proper action against them, and 2) clear it up more quickly.
DeleteWe've told councillors this for years, so what exactly is a "task force" going to achieve other than present the above as some new and radical thinking and be a point on Severus's CV?
Exactly this Anon 14.52. They know what the problem is, it's up to them to sort out a solution, that's what they are paid for. Go away and do it Sam and stop trying to get residents to do your job for you.
DeleteLots of Green waste dumped. To fix this end the garden bin tax.
ReplyDeleteYes, lots of green waste dumped in and around Fryent Country Park & indeed spotted in the road that Cllr Pavey lives. Hope he gets on board with Cllr Stopp to stop such flytipping in his ward.
DeleteThis says the council is out of ideas about how to tackle flytipping.
ReplyDeleteI think it's positive that they're willing to listen. Stopp is a bit full of himself but he can be effective.
DeleteLet's wait and see.
What gets me is that EVERY time one of this lot announces some New Improved Scheme to stamp out fly tipping, the language is as though it's a new problem, that they've suddenly stumbled over to their IMMENSE surprise and consternation. Do none of the beggars ever actually walk round looking at what's been happening for years? Mashari announced a clampdown in 2010 or whenever. Butt had photos taken (!) holding a broom. Perrins said he'd fix it. So did Powney - the man who let WLWA get away with breathtaking incompetence. Same old, same old.
ReplyDeleteFly tipping is increasing, yet again, and that's not just based on the figures but observation. And it doesn't seem as though this lot ever bother reporting it in their own wards: I deliberately left a pile unreported. Took three weeks for it to go, and it was the road sweeper who got it cleared. :(
The problem is the public, not Veolia and certainly not the council. After all they developed the cleaner brent app which means we can all be Veolia deputies. Everything is fine with outsourcing - move along.
ReplyDeleteIt is both patronising and ignorant to make the above remarks - this person must wear blinkers not to see the problems from a wider perspctive. Our streets have never been so dirty - it not surprising rats and the urban foxes are on the increase, not to mention an increase in rough sleepers and associated rubbish that's left behind. S/he should move along our streets and open spaces with open eyes.
DeleteMore rubbish ..........
ReplyDeleteYes, everyone who owns a mobile phone can be a deputy with Brent's clean streets AP. But residents are also aware that the rubbish the offenders dump usually get removed within 24 hours of reporting it. On the other hand, it may take 24 hours to get through to Brent using their user unfriendly automated service, to make a simple request to the Council to remove items that our too big for the bin, only to get a response to say they cant remove them for ten days or two weeks. Residents are therfore probably aware that flytippers get the best service.
ReplyDeleteThe fly-tipping problem almost disappeared when the Council had a Street Care Team - properly funded and with empowered staff, plus a competent Head of Service.. Then the Corporate Policy "team" interfered, meddled and undermined them. Sadly one of the CP Team is still employed at a six figure sum per annum, and a fat pension to look forward to. Then, and still now, the biggest waste of scant resources in the Council.
ReplyDeleteShocking.
Very very true. We had a terrific Streetcare officer - Jaci Brown - who I'd known for over a decade. She knew Dollis Hill like the back of the prroverbial and was proactive in the extreme. The one remaining person is none of these thngs. All those good officers went to Veolia, many have now left there, too.
DeleteBack in the day, I remember good old Bridie who would take the time to listen to residents concerns and delve deep into heaps of rubbish to ensure repeated offenders were found and prosecuted. Today it's almost impossible to have a conversation with Viola or indeed anyone at Brent Council. Everyone passes the rubbish and no one wants to take responsibility which they regard beyond their remit.
DeleteIf Councillor Stopp wants to cut down on rubbish he should try keeping his mouth shut.
ReplyDelete