Councillors Not Doing Enough to Tackle Fly-tipping in Coventry
Conservatives claim there is a “two-tier” system on fly-tipping in Coventry because the council removes rubbish from its own land “quickly” but when it comes to more ‘deprived areas’ the council has “limited options” and often depends on social landlords.
However, Conservatives are talking rubbish and using political slogans for publicity. I recently complained to the local government ombudsman about the council’s response to persistent fly-tipping in Foleshill because it wasn’t taking any action.
The ombudsman said there had been several reports of fly-tipping but there was nothing to show what the council did which is a potential fault. However, the ombudsman decided not to investigate further because I moved away from the area and was “no longer affected by it.”
Unfortunately, I have also seen rubbish dumped on street corners and outside people’s homes in Tile Hill, Mount Nod and Eastern Green since I moved back to this part of the city in 2024.
I have consistently called for the council to carry out a public information campaign to let residents know the law on fly-tipping and how to get rid of waste and unwanted items properly. In addition, I have called for new bulky waste and recycling trucks, weekly green bin collections in the worst offending areas and flexible hours at the tip to make it easier for residents to turn up without an appointment – Ian Rogers
Councillors in Denial About Fly-tipping
Conservatives claim fly-tipping isn’t an anti-social behaviour issue because it mostly comes from organised gangs after several incidents in Allesley Green recently.
However, I sent a Freedom of Information request to the council which confirmed there were 7 incidents of fly-tipping in Allesley Green (including 3 “truck loads” over 2 weeks) compared to 1,467 incidents in Foleshill and 1,313 incidents in Hillfields in the previous 12 months. All of the council’s new CCTV cameras are in the worst offending areas except Allesley Green (next to the pumping station). Why are Conservatives directing public resources to private property including a shop car park which could be used on other projects to tackle fly-tipping across the city?
CCTV Cameras Not Deterring Fly-tippers
The council previously spent £80,000 on six CCTV cameras including 3 in Hillfields. The council has also announced £420,000 extra funding including six more cameras (costing a further £80,000). Labour councillors claim the new cameras will make a “real difference” however this clearly hasn’t been the case in Stoke as pictured below. What’s more, only 3% of over 6,000 fly-tipping incidents in the city have resulted in prosecution. Now Conservatives are calling for drones to help tackle fly-tipping just for the sake of it.
