Thursday 21 January 2016

Brent Council abolishes fly-tipping

Mattresses on the corner of Chapter Road and Deacon Road earlier this week
The Brent Council Cabinet last night agreed to change the term 'fly-tipping' to 'illegal rubbish dumping' . Arguing for the change Cllr Sam Stopp, who chaired the Scrutiny Committeee Task Group on fly-tipping, said that many people did not understand the term 'fly-tipping' and in a borough with many people who were not fluent in English it was important that the terminology should be understand - he was not expecting other London boroughs to adopt the usage.

The emphasis on 'illegal' was welcomed by other Cabinet members. Other recommendations adopted included appointing 'Community Guardians' who would tackle illegal dumping in their areas and have a profile on the Council's web page, a Brent Against Rubbish Dumping Charter which businesses, landlords, estate and letting agents and schools would be encouraged to sign up to and display publicly, and the soft relaunch of the Cleaner Brent App (see side panel).

There was a particular emphasis on co-operation from landlords and Cllr Margaret McLennan said she would like to see the Landlord Licensing Scheme, presently operating in three wards, extended to the whole of Brent.

Cllr Stopp said 80% of his case work was illegal rubbish dumping but he also claimed that Brent wasn't the worse borough in London as sometimes portrayed as it came about half-way in the London Boroughs league table.

Derivation of the term fly-tipping

On the fly meant to move or do something in a hurry. so tipping on the fly, so you don't get caught.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Other recommendations adopted included appointing 'Community Guardians' who would tackle illegal dumping in their areas...
We used to have a scheme in Brent called Streetwatchers, but all that was axed with the cuts, along with the Officer supporting it. How will this will work without support???

Anonymous said...

Ironically, the part of the text edited out of the report that Cllr Kelcher indicated his 'strong' disapproval for was with relation to the failure of a marketing / PR drive to have any impact upon flytipping. Yet, in spite of this a decision was made to have a marketing / PR rebrand that is already referred to as an acronym in other reports from Brent Council. The evidence suggests this tinkering will also have limited impact and I imagine will also be edited away into the ether.

The real motivation for flytipping relates to time & money not ignorance of vocabulary or the law. It shouldn't need a 'task-force' to calculate the solution.

Scott Bartle

Anonymous said...

Surely this problem involves a calculation about (i) lack of social responsibility on the part of the perpetrator, times (ii) risk of detection, divided by (iii) severity of sanction. Short of the Second Coming there's not much chance of an early change in the first factor. As Osborne seems determined to drive crime(detection) off the streets and give us all the freedom of choice to select (and pay for) our own private security needs, the second factor is a lost cause. That leaves sanctions.
Having abolished 'fly-tipping' at a stroke, the punishment for 'illegal rubbish-dumping' should now be increased to a fine of £3,000,000, 5 years imprisonment and a 3 year obligatory work-placement under Cara Davani. That'll stop it.
Over to you, Mr Butt.

Mike Hine

Alison Hopkins said...

Streetwatchers worked very well and cost very little. The criteria for "Communnity Guardians" is so tight, that almost no one who actually works on behalf of their community will qualify. And yes, the officers have all gone. As to Stopp's claim that 80 percent of his casework is fly tippng, then if it's true, he's not digging deep enough into local issues. It was a big part of mine, yes, but the majority of mine involved social issues. Still does.

I know a few councillors do actually walk their wards and report fly tips, but most don't.

Nan. said...

'3 year obligatory work placement under Cara Davani' ? I wouldn't wish that on a dog. Then again.........

Nan. said...

'...3 year obligatory work placement under Cara Davani'?

I wouldn't wish that on a dog. The again.......