Hardly a week goes by without someone contacting me or my office about fly-tipping.
It’s an issue that is happening with too much frequency across all parts of the constituency (and country). It makes me so angry. Why do people think it is acceptable to dump rubbish wherever they please?
A few days ago, I met with residents from Colshaw Farm in Wilmslow. Selfish fly-tippers are coming into the area and dumping their rubbish forcing residents to live with the never ending cycle of waste being dumped, cleared, and then more appearing.
I was told there’s been a lack of upkeep and maintenance on the field where children play and the grass has become overgrown, making it “inviting” for fly-tippers. There’s also a problem with street lighting (or lack of it) so once it gets dark, the culprits often go unnoticed. Residents want Cheshire East Council to tackle this growing problem, something I fully support.
I’ve written to the council’s chief executive about the specific issues raised with me and hope these two preventative measures of maintenance and lighting can be dealt with immediately, while the bigger issues are addressed. I will also be speaking with the police, as worryingly I was also told despite photographic evidence of incidents taking place no action is being taken.
Fly-tipping is a huge issue blighting our communities but it is also a huge drain on taxpayers’ money. The local clean-up bill runs into the hundreds of thousands each year - money that should be spent on local services to benefit everyone, not clearing up after selfish fly-tippers.
In the 12 months up to March 2023 (latest available official data) there were 4,108 incidents reported in Cheshire East. That’s 79 a week.
Unfortunately, I fear those numbers will increase. This is due to three recent policy decisions taken by Labour-led Cheshire East Council surrounding waste and waste disposal. Residents now need to book to visit the tip in Knutsford at the weekend or bank holidays, the council now charges for green bin collections, and as of next year black bin collections will change from fortnightly to three weekly.
As usual, the council claim the changes are needed to save money. What is needed is better financial management and an understanding of how things work. Any so-called savings made from these policies will be eaten up immediately in fly-tipping clean-up costs!
