I receive hundreds of emails every week from residents raising their local concerns, and one reoccurring theme in fly tipping.
Since my election I have been working with local councillors to tackle litter and have joined in local litter pick events. It has been great to join the volunteers who pull on their gloves, grab their litter pickers and come together to clean up our community.
However fly tipping it is a perennial problem in our area, and in the last year alone, we have had 1,600 incidents.
We have had asbestos dumped in Ash, which led to a road being blocked off for two weeks. We have had dangerous waste dumped in Shoreham Lane, leading to farm animals eating it and dying. We have had rubbish dumped in Horton Kirby and Fawkham. This is an issue that absolutely needs resolving.
The good news is that Sevenoaks District Council has done a huge amount of very good work focusing on enforcement. In fact, we are the only district council in Kent who has a dedicated fly-tipping enforcement agency. They work hard to secure prosecutions, which in the last year included eight criminal prosecutions, and around 50 fixed penalty notices.
Earlier this year, they prosecuted against someone who had fly-tipped five times. He received a 12-month community order and was ordered to pay £3,000 in compensation to Kent County Council and £250 to Sevenoaks District Council.
While this is a welcome development, these fines are not enough to deter people, and we must now focus on not only the maximum level but how much local authorities are able to get back from people who carry out these irritating crimes that are causing such a blight on our communities.
At a recent debate on the issue in Parliament, I spoke about the need to focus on the role of the Environment Agency. According to the National Audit Office, the number of Environment Agency prosecutions for waste crime has dropped from nearly 800 a year in 2007-08 to about 50 a year in 2017-18. This seems worrying and I asked the Minister to investigate the most recent figures to ensure it could quickly be addressed.
I also raised in the debate the need for compensation for councils so that they recoup their fees when they prosecute such cases. It is just not economical for them to do so, because they recoup only 40% of their fees on average. Sevenoaks District Council spent £23,000 on this matter last year. We need to do more to support councils that are trying to do the right thing by addressing this blight on our communities.
I will continue to make the case for action in Parliament, However I also urge all readers to ensure your waste is removed by a licensed waste carrier. If in doubt, you can check credentials by calling the Environment Agency for free on 08708 506506. Remember, if your waste is illegally dumped, you are responsible and might be getting a visit from the environmental officer – so please do protect yourself and the countryside.
By working together, we will tackle this selfish behaviour.
