Agenda item

To receive members’ questions under procedure rule no.11.  The procedure rule provides that any member may ask the Chairman of a board or group any question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties which affect the District, provided that three clear days’ notice in writing has been given to the Head of Legal and Commercial Services.

The Chairman advised that he had received two questions ahead of the meeting and that he would take them in the order they had been received.

(1)    The Chairman invited Councillor J Clarke to ask his question addressed to Councillor A Woodman.

“There is an inordinate amount of road side litter on the rural roads in the district. I am happy to pick litter in my own village but I will not collect litter on roads where there is no pavement, for safety reasons. Could the Council assist Parish Councils in litter collection on the rural roads by providing extra litter pickers, plastic bags and bag rings but more importantly an escort vehicle to protect volunteer litter pickers from traffic. In addition could the Council launch a drive against those who litter and encourage fast food establishments too high light the anti-social behaviour of those who dispose of their rubbish on the roadside?”

The Chairman invited Councillor A Woodman to respond.

“The council currently supports over 300 volunteer litter pickers across the district and this will be enhanced by the addition of a £15k budget that is being considered at this Full Council meeting which will provide much needed equipment to our army of volunteers. This equipment will be available for voluntary groups and parish/town councils to help organise litter picks and target areas of concern.

For insurance and health and safety reasons we are not able to supply escort vehicles to our volunteers, they are only advised to keep areas tidy that are easily accessible when out and about (footpath verges, community parks, hedgerows etc.). 

The litter they collect should only be what is typically dropped irresponsibly by others (cans, plastic bottles, crisp packets etc.). 

They are also advised to avoid large items and unidentified cans or canisters, poisons, insecticides, clinical waste, other hazardous substances, broken glass, syringes, etc.

This year, Keep Britain Tidy ‘The Big Spring Clean’ will be held 28 May to 13 June.  North West Leicestershire District Council will be supporting this by organising our own event where we will be asking people to ‘Pick Their Own Street’.  In previous years, the event has been around the Coalville and Ashby Town centres however, this year we will be offering the event to the wider district and encouraging people to pick on the road in which they reside or work. (Subject to any Covid restrictions in place at the time).

The Litter Strategy for England, which the council supports, aims to clean up the country and reduce both litter and littering behaviours by means of better education, enforcement.  To help combat roadside litter new regulations were introduced in April 2018. These regulations mean that local councils may issue a Penalty Charge Notice to the registered owner of a car if it can be proved litter had been dumped from their vehicle even if someone else discarded the rubbish.

A countywide campaign was also launched in 2019 to highlight these new powers which is currently ongoing across the district.”

The Chairman invited Councillor J Clarke to ask a supplementary question.

Councillor J Clarke noted the type of litter that was being left and the hard work of parishes, community groups and residents of the district for trying their best to keep the area tidy and asked if the Portfolio Holder if there was any way that the problem could be tackled.

Councillor A Woodman advised that the street cleansing service was working as hard as they could to clear the litter and he acknowledged the work of the volunteers. He noted that financial support to the volunteers would be discussed as part of the budget. He added that he and officers fully recognised the issue and would keep fighting the blight of littering.

(2)    The Chairman invited Councillor S Sheahan to ask his question addressed to Councillor A Woodman.

“2021 has seen an increase in dog fouling on public footpaths and litter in grass verges & laybys, whilst fly tipping shows no signs of abating. How does the Council plan to respond?

The Chairman invited Councillor A Woodman to respond.

“A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) was adopted in 2018 replacing the old dog control orders.  This will be extended in March 2021 by Cabinet for a further 3 years and will give enforcement officers continued powers to deal with offences relating to dogs such as:- fouling, having a means to pick up, exclusion in children’s play areas and on marked sports pitches and leads by order. The Environmental Protection Team are also looking to revamp the current ‘Dog Watch’ campaign with new signage for 2021 to raise awareness around picking up after your dog and correctly disposing of the waste. There has been an increase in bagged dog waste being discarded into trees and bushes and this will be highlighted in the new campaign combining the two offences of littering and dog fouling. The team have also introduced a new impact assessment, which will form the initial part of any investigation into dog fouling.  This will give clear data into the seriousness of problem areas and will enable appropriate action to be taken; the public can also assist with this by giving precise details when reporting issues to council.

The Litter Strategy for England, which the council supports, aims to clean up the country and reduce both litter and littering behaviours by means of better education, enforcement.  To help combat roadside litter new regulations were introduced in April 2018. These regulations mean that local councils may issue a Penalty Charge Notice to the registered owner of a car if it can be proved litter had been dumped from their vehicle even if someone else discarded the rubbish.  This will speedup investigations making it easier to fine those responsible or who allow other to litter from their vehicle. A Countywide campaign was also launched in 2019 to highlight these new powers, which is currently ongoing across the district.  A Litter campaign is also being compiled which will be taken into schools throughout the district to highlight the issues litter has on our environment and wildlife.

The local authority has been under immense pressure with regard to fly tipping, which was heightened at the start of the pandemic when the local tips were closed.  There has been a steady decrease since the waste disposal sites reopened and we have seen this right across the district, which is encouraging.

From an enforcement point, fly tipping investigations rely wholly on gathering intelligence and the use of technology to apprehend those responsible and I’m pleased to inform you that the council’s 2021/2 budget is proposing a new fund of £15k for cameras which have been specifically designed with fly tipping in mind. It is important when possible to stop a problem at source and our campaign ‘Your Waste, You responsibility’ is an ideal example of how the council is trying to deal with and educate those people who use rogue waste carriers to take their rubbish away. This campaign was taken into the three main DIY outlets in the district and the team has already started to see signs of this education working. 

Monitoring of social media sites has seen an increase in people advising others against giving their waste to unregistered waste carriers highlighting that the message is getting through which will hopefully see less people using illegal carriers in the future”

The Chairman invited Councillor S Sheahan to ask a supplementary question.

Councillor S Sheahan asked if the Portfolio Holder would agree to bring a report to Scrutiny on dog fouling, fly tipping and littering in the autumn to look at the measures that had been set.

Councillor A Woodman agreed that an update report could be taken to Scrutiny.