Stockport Council proposes tougher measures to tackle litter and fly-tipping
Tougher action to tackle litter and fly-tipping in Stockport could be agreed this week amid claims the problem has reached 'epidemic proportions'.
Councillors are planning to demand more is done on the issues during a council meeting at the town hall on Thursday, calling for a 'zero tolerance' approach to those dumping their rubbish on Stockport's streets and green spaces.
New measures to tackle litter and fly-tipping are set to be debated, such as signs reminding people to take litter home, promoting 'behaviour-change campaigns', and bringing regular updates on progress to council meetings once every six months.
A motion on the issue reads: "The litter in our communities has reached epidemic proportions.
"We see it everywhere and we know it eventually finds its way into our grids and gullies.
"We also know, because we live here as well, that it has an impact on the look and feel of our town centre and all wards."
Offerton councillor Helen Hibbert will move the motion at Thursday's meeting.
"It's really bad, it's something that comes up all the time when we talk to residents," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"We need to change behaviours and get a grip of this to prevent it rather than just deal with it afterwards."
The problem leads to hedges ending up full of empty crisp packets and drinks bottles, Cllr Hibbert added, claiming that "there's not really any routine litter picking by the council."
The motion set to be discussed on Thursday calls for the council to 'adopt a year-round, multi-faceted, prevention strategy to address the ongoing problem of litter.'
Figures from the government have shown that Stockport council has issued fewer fines than some neighbouring authorities for fly-tipping.
Data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs showed Stockport issued four fixed penalty notice actions for fly-tipping in 2023/24, compared to 135 in Trafford and 279 in Tameside.
The figures were sent to Stockport council for a response.
Cllr Grace Baynham, the council's cabinet member for parks, highways and transport services, said Stockport is "one of the cleanest boroughs around" thanks to the efforts of the town hall's teams, voluntary groups, and community champions.
"While most residents respect our borough, we know a small minority do not," the cabinet member added.
"The council actively enforces and prosecutes fly-tipping cases, with investigations leading to enforcement action.
"However, enforcement alone is not a silver bullet. Proving fly-tipping cases beyond reasonable doubt can be a lengthy legal process, and even when successful, penalties are often low – for example, a recent case resulted in just a £250 fine."
Cllr Baynham explained that some councils employ private enforcement contractors to issue fines for low-level littering, but Stockport's focus is firmly on prevention.
She added: "We are unaware of any clear evidence that shows that this approach [using private enforcement contractors] results in cleaner streets or long-term behaviour change.
"If it were truly effective, those issuing high numbers of fines would eventually see a drop in littering and enforcement figures.
"Instead, we focus on prevention, education, and community engagement alongside enforcement, ensuring a more sustainable and positive impact."
Starting this week, the council is leading a programme of organised clean-up events and activities across Stockport, taking place over the eight-week Spring Clean campaign period.
It involves council staff getting to work on tidying up district and local centres, parks and greenspaces, as well as removing illegal graffiti and collecting waste, supported by local friends of parks groups, schools, businesses, and volunteers.
Other planned activities include gully cleansing, fly post removal, and raising awareness of the hazards of fly-tipping and dangers of single-use plastic, and more, the council said.
Council leader Mark Hunter said: "I'm excited to launch this year's Spring Clean campaign alongside our brilliant TLC tipper crew.
"Maintaining the beauty of our borough takes hard work and is a collective effort. I encourage everyone to join the council and do their bit to ensure Stockport stays a great place for residents and visitors to enjoy."
~
Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.
To get our top stories in your inbox each week, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter HERE.
Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or Twitter
Share:
