Agenda item

Fly-Tipping

It was moved by Councillor Joe Otten, seconded by Councillor David Baker, that this Council:-

(a)       recalls the recent poll on The Star’s website, which saw 54% of local people state that waste collections in Sheffield were “not working”;

(b)       believes the Council’s waste strategy is still failing local communities, with reports of fly-tipping across the City continuing;

(c)        reiterates the admission of the Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene, made in The Star on 20^th November 2012, that the decrease in recorded fly-tipping is “due to a change in how Sheffield Homes records figures for dumping on estates”;

(d)       notes that fly-tipping recorded in the parks and public realm category almost trebled in the 2012-13 financial year;

(e)       reminds Members that the main opposition group’s budget amendment would have increased opening hours at local recycling centres; and

(f)        recommends that the Administration undertake an immediate review of local recycling centres with a view to increasing hours and providing a fairer distribution of hours across the City.

(Note: With the consent of the Council and at the request of Councillor Joe Otten (the mover of the Motion), paragraph (d) of the Motion, as included in the Summons, was altered, as follows:-

The replacement of the words: “notes that in fact fly-tipping in parks and public realm increased by more than 280% in the 2012-13 financial year;” by the words “notes that fly-tipping recorded in the parks and public realm category almost trebled in the 2012-13 financial year;”.)

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Jack Scott, seconded by Councillor Gill Furniss, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of all the words after the words “That this Council” and the substitution of the following words therefor:-

(a)       confirms for the record that overall across the City, fly-tipping has reduced and welcomes that the Council was rated as effective in dealing with fly-tipping, according to national indicators;

(b)       regrets that the main opposition group have falsely stated that fly-tipping is increasing in an attempt to mislead local people about fly-tipping and notes comments from the Head of Environmental Regulation that “The increase percentage figure as quoted is not credible. The categories for this year and last year are different, so only a city-wide view gives the whole picture.”;

(c)        welcomes the action taken by the present Administration to tackle fly-tipping, including working with businesses and residents to ensure the correct disposal of waste and strong enforcement activity which has led to approximately 12 people convicted of waste related offences and many receiving cautions in the past 12 months;

(d)       further welcomes that the Council has issued over 100 fixed penalty notices for littering and dog fouling which is a large increase on previous years;

(e)       believes this is a result of the decision to set on two part time staff to help with patrolling and recalls that the previous Administration scrapped posts to tackle littering;

(f)        confirms that reductions in opening hours at Household Waste Recycling Centres were proposed in the 2011/12 budget set by the previous Administration and deplores the hypocrisy of the main opposition group; and

(g)       believes that fly-tipping is caused by irresponsible, ignorant and criminal behaviour and deplores the main opposition group for continuously excusing the irresponsible behaviour of fly-tippers and welcomes the Administration’s attempts to crack down on fly-tipping.

On being put to the vote the amendment was carried.

After a right of reply from Councillor Joe Otten, the original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       confirms for the record that overall across the City, fly-tipping has reduced and welcomes that the Council was rated as effective in dealing with fly-tipping, according to national indicators;

(b)       regrets that the main opposition group have falsely stated that fly-tipping is increasing in an attempt to mislead local people about fly-tipping and notes comments from the Head of Environmental Regulation that “The increase percentage figure as quoted is not credible. The categories for this year and last year are different, so only a city-wide view gives the whole picture.”;

(c)        welcomes the action taken by the present Administration to tackle fly-tipping, including working with businesses and residents to ensure the correct disposal of waste and strong enforcement activity which has led to approximately 12 people convicted of waste related offences and many receiving cautions in the past 12 months;

(d)       further welcomes that the Council has issued over 100 fixed penalty notices for littering and dog fouling which is a large increase on previous years;

(e)       believes this is a result of the decision to set on two part time staff to help with patrolling and recalls that the previous Administration scrapped posts to tackle littering;

(f)        confirms that reductions in opening hours at Household Waste Recycling Centres were proposed in the 2011/12 budget set by the previous Administration and deplores the hypocrisy of the main opposition group; and

(g)       believes that fly-tipping is caused by irresponsible, ignorant and criminal behaviour and deplores the main opposition group for continuously excusing the irresponsible behaviour of fly-tippers and welcomes the Administration’s attempts to crack down on fly-tipping.

(Note: Councillor Robert Murphy voted for Paragraphs (a), (c) and (d) and abstained on Paragraphs (b) and (e) to (g) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)