Southwark Lib Dems call for action as ‘light touch’ council issues ZERO fines for litter
The Southwark Lib Dems have called for action after new data reveals Southwark’s appalling record on littering, fly-tipping and rats.
According to campaign group Clean Up Britain, in 2021/2022, Southwark Council issued zero fines for littering. This makes Southwark one of the only English councils revealed to have not used existing powers to crack down on litterers.
Official figures also showed that Southwark is one of the worst councils in London for fly-tipping, and yet just 2% of fly-tipping incidents were followed up with a fine.
In addition, research from Southwark Liberal Democrats can reveal that the council spent almost £1 million disposing of fly-tipped waste.
This all comes in the wake of recent reports showing that Southwark was the second worst council in the country for rats.
The council also confirmed that the street cleaning rota has shifted from 4 weeks to 5 weeks – which will only make the problem worse.
The Lib Dem opposition group has slammed the council, saying that its leadership have failed to take control of the spiraling situation, which is impacting on the health and wellbeing of residents.
Lib Dem councillors have submitted a motion to the next full council, containing innovative policies that will keep Southwark’s street’s clean.
Amongst other ideas, the proposal would make it easier to dispose of large items properly, reverse the cleaning rota change, and use technology and data to crack down on fly-tippers.
The motion will be debated and voted on at the next full council on 12th July.
Previous attempts to tackle dumping in the street were slapped down by council bosses, but the Liberal Democrats continue to listen to residents and push for action on fly-tipping and waste.
Commenting, Deputy Leader Cllr Rachel Bentley said:
“Residents from across the borough have been telling us that they’re fed up of having their streets full of overflowing bins, discarded fridges, and litter everywhere. It’s time that our light touch council took action. The shocking revelation about litter fines only confirms that the council just doesn’t take this seriously.
If the council properly cracked down on fly-tippers and litterers with fines, they would be able to offset the massive cost of disposing of the waste, and also discourage the practice in the first place.
This is about pride in where you live, protecting the environment, and enhancing our shared spaces. Only the Liberal Democrats are taking this problem seriously, and I’m delighted to be bringing this solution to full council next week.”