Conservatives plan a 'get tough' approach to litter
The Conservative Council has announced new budget proposals to step up the war on litter in South Gloucestershire. They are proposing to build up to an investment of £200,000 a year on weed and litter clearance across the authority, Additionally they are also proposing to invest £70,000 a year in a dedicated new team to enforce the law on litter which allows Councils to issue fines to people who drop litter.
Cllr. Heather Goddard (Conservative Cabinet Member for Communities) comments,
"One of the biggest issues local residents raise with me is the problem of litter and the general appearance of our communities. We have listened to those concerns and are proposing a twin-track action plan to tackle the problem and clean up South Gloucestershire."
"Firstly we intend to take advantage of our powers to impose fines on people who very deliberately litter our community and spoil its appearance for the rest of us. In the past South Gloucestershire hasn't had a strong approach to litter enforcement but we believe the public want that to change and want a clear message sent out that littering is not acceptable. It costs the Council a huge amount of money to clear up rubbish and litter, which is money we wouldn't need to spend it people treated our area with respect."
"Our proposal is to set up a dedicated enforcement team which will issue fines to those caught littering. The evidence from other Councils shows that when a more rigorous approach to litter is introduced it has a very dramatic effect on reducing litter."
"As well as this we intend to plan a significant expansion of the frequency of weed and litter clearance on our footways which is important not just for the appearance of the area but also to help prevent our drains and rivers being blocked by rubbish and flooding."
The Conservatives proposals for fresh action on litter will be debated by the Council next month.
More information: Conservative Group 07761393416
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25 January 2008