Agenda and minutes

None.

None.

RESOLVED – that the minutes of the meeting 15 November 2022 be noted by the Committee.

RESOLVED – that the Terms of Reference 2023/2024 be agreed by the Committee.

The Service Delivery Manager: Legal & Democracy presented the report, providing an overview of the items on the draft work programme.

Following the presentation, Members requested the addition of items looking at funding tackling domestic violence and an update on road safety in the Borough. Members also wished to examine the Council’s communications with Members and residents.

RESOLVED – that the amended work programme be agreed.

To receive a presentation on fly tipping in the Borough.

The Director: Neighbourhood & Enforcement Services and the Neighbourhood Enforcement Manager provided the Committee with a scene setting presentation on fly tipping in the Borough.

Members heard that this item had been requested by scrutiny in a previous year following a wider update on waste. The presentation was an update on the information previously presented and would cover the past 18 months in relation to fly tipping.

The presentation provided the Committee with an overview of the enforcement activity that had taken place in 2022 and 2023 to date; setting out the number of Fixed Penalty Notices, court cases, and formal written warnings, amongst other interventions.

In tackling the fly tipping issue, the Council had undertaken a range of measures, which included work with partners, roadside operations, the deployment of CCTV including a mobile CCTV hub, and providing support to private landowners who were victims of fly tips.

Telford & Wrekin Council had seen a 40% reduction in fly tipping since 2021 and would continue to tackle the issue with an intelligence led, partnership focussed approach.

A discussion followed with Members posing a number of questions:

Had there been an improvement in the fly tipping situation since the start of Telford & Wrekin Watch? What data was available in relation to this?

The success on fly tipping was the accumulated result of a number of actions and policies. Telford & Wrekin Watch had allowed the Council to reach hundreds of people.

Why did people fly tip?

There were a number of reasons for this, ranging from laziness to ignorance of where waste was going when they handed it to people to dispose of.

If people left waste out to be collected, were they fly tipping?

If they reasonably believed that it was waiting to be collected, and if they had arranged collection, then no, it was not considered to be fly tipping.

Did scrap collectors have to be licenced?

Scrap collectors did have to have a licence and this licence had to be displayed prominently on their vehicle.

Was a ward by ward breakdown of fly tipping data available?

The Authority possessed a lot of data, including ward by ward data. This data was used as part of investigations and to identify patterns around the matter.

There was a discussion around the level of communication between the Council and residents on fly tipping. Members felt that this was an area that scrutiny could look at in more detail and add value to. Following the discussion it was:

RESOLVED – that

a)    The presentation be noted; and

b)   A workshop be scheduled to consider Council communications around fly tipping.

None.