Very few fines for fly-tipping issued in Greenwich borough
This week’s council meeting revealed the number of fines issued for fly-tipping since new powers were introduced last year to increase fines from £75 to £400:
Some parts of the borough with endemic problems haven’t seen a single fine issued. It’s hard to know why none have been issued in Abbey Wood, for example, when some exact spots have seen fly tipping week after week for years.
And why are so few fines for the full amount of £400? 101 out of 115 fines were for £75 since April 2016. Just 14 fines were for £400 since last April which compares badly to Lewisham council who issued 28 £400 fines in three months alone last summer:
Some positive steps have been taken by Greenwich Council to patrol areas and and collect dumped rubbish. However it often seems too focused upon being reactive and lacking in measures to stop repeat offenders.
One possible way to improve the issue may be to implement landlord licensing. As many issues emanate from buy-to-lets, fees paid by landlords could bolster staff numbers to investigate offenders.
Ealing Council, to give one example, issue far more fines:
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Thanks for posting this. I do agree that the council reinforcement seems weak versus the fly-tipping offenders. However as per my experience in same areas of greenwich most of these offenders are council tenants, and unfortunately do this regularly.
I also think that neighbourhoods/residents should do their part , isolate the offenders and report them to Council, instead of being careless.
I am aware that some people may not like what I wrote above..but it is a fact.
For example just drive through Charlton ( or even worst through Woolich) and you can easily see that people dump rubbish and bulky items outside their property (or even worst ,outside other people properties) without arranging for collection, and items sit on pavement for weeks till someone has the initiative to call council.
the Council and Residents associations could try harder to “educate” residents to waste management policies , to have civil manners and have respect for neighbourhood, but I am sure that unfortunately this doesn’t work for some people , that’s why we need more reinforcement, fines.
Parking controls are very efficient to issues fines…why can’t be also the same for fly-tipping?
I totally agree with the above comment ( a brighter Greenwich). I am a council tenant in Woolwich, and I’ve really been suffering from neighbours who simply dump their unwanted items (sofas, beds, dressers) in front of their own front door! I would say 80 percent of the residents who live near me do this, it is so painful to have to live amongst the rubbish and walk past it on the way to work. I was away from the area for 5 years at university and when I moved back it took me a while to re-adjust, i say this as someone who grew up on a Woolwich council estate… It is not a straight forward fly tipping problem I’m afraid, as a large chunk of the dumping is done by council tenants. I have reported incidents to the council serveral times and they have told me to gather evidence and letters of complaint from other residents, which I’ve tried to do -but unfortunately no one else seems to care! It is so frustrating – I’m not sure what to do anymore! I guess I’ll have to live with the mess until I can save enough to buy somewhere where people care about their front yard! #sigh.
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