Questions & Answers
Q1
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Paul Waugh noted that Rochdale council removed 6,500 fly-tips in the past year alone, equivalent to 50 tonnes of illegally dumped waste per month at a cost of £400,000 to local taxpayers. He highlighted a concern from his council about inconsistent and tough enough fines issued by the courts.
Rochdale council has removed 6,500 fly-tips this past year alone, equivalent to 50 tonnes of illegally dumped waste every month at a cost of £400,000 to local taxpayers. But my council tells me that there is a real failure in the courts issuing consistent and tough enough fines. Does the Minister agree with me that it is time to crack down harder on fly-tippers, put much tighter regulations on waste carriers and treat the fly-tippers like the criminals they are by crushing their cars and putting points on their licences?
It is clear that the waste carriers, brokers and dealers, and the exemption permitting regimes are not fit for purpose. I have asked my officials to look at everything we can do to strengthen both of those.
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Q2
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Rachel Hopkins highlighted the significant issue of fly-tipping in her constituency, with over 10,000 incidents recorded in Luton alone in 2023-24. She emphasized the need for a coordinated approach between the Department and local authorities to tackle this problem.
Fly-tipping is a scourge on local communities and a drain on council resources, be they rural councils, like Central Bedfordshire, or town councils, like Luton, in my constituency. Most recent figures show that there were over 10,000 fly-tipping incidents in Luton alone in 2023-24, but does the Minister agree that we need a co-ordinated approach between the Department, local authorities and the police to deliver a holistic strategy to tackle fly-tipping?
It is clear that my hon. Friend is right. Luton has a particular problem with fly-tipping, but the council has been doing good work, with 263 fixed-penalty notices and 32 prosecutions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs chairs the national fly-tipping prevention group, and we work with a wide range of interested parties, including councils, the Environment Agency, the National Farmers Union and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to disseminate good practice, and I urge Luton to join us in that endeavour.
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Q3
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Warinder Juss highlighted the efforts of City of Wolverhampton council, which introduced initiatives such as drones and raising fines to tackle fly-tipping. Despite these efforts, fly-tipping remains a costly issue for local taxpayers in her constituency.
Although City of Wolverhampton council is to be congratulated on introducing a range of initiatives to tackle fly-tipping, including deploying drones, raising the fine for fly-tipping to £1,000 and rewarding those who identify culprits with gift cards, fly-tipping in my constituency of Wolverhampton West costs Wolverhampton taxpayers around £300,000 a year and involved some 2,714 incidents during 2023-24. Does the Minister agree that we need stronger disincentives to discourage those who fly-tip so that that £300,000 can be redistributed to where it is really needed?
I am interested to hear about the work my hon. Friend’s council is doing with drones. We use CCTV, but there could be lessons for other councils. In our manifesto, we committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up their mess. We are seeking powers to issue statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance so we have a consistent and effective approach, but it is clear that the waste carriers, brokers and dealers, and the exemption permitting regimes, are not fit for purpose.
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Q4
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David Williams highlighted that Stoke-on-Trent's Labour-led council has significantly improved the response time for waste removal under their leadership, but councils cannot tackle fly-tipping alone. He asked what more the Government can do to support local authorities in tackling this issue.
Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities, but in Stoke-on-Trent, our Labour-led council has worked tirelessly to turn things around. Under the Conservatives, residents were waiting for over a month for waste to be removed, but under the leadership of Jane Ashworth and Amjid Wazir, that response time is now under one week. However, councils cannot tackle the issue alone, so will the Minister outline what more the Government can do to support local councils to clamp down on fly-tipping, get tough on those who blight our streets, and create cleaner, greener communities for all?
It is interesting what a difference a change in council leadership makes. I commend Councillor Ashworth and Councillor Wazir on their excellent work. This Government will introduce mandatory digital waste tracking from April 2026, and I will update the House on progress in May 2025.
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Q5
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Will Forster noted that Woking borough council and other local authorities introduced new powers to strengthen their actions against fly-tippers. He asked about the impact of these measures.
Fly-tipping is a real concern in my constituency of Woking, but I understand that the previous Government introduced new powers that enabled Woking borough council and other local authorities to strengthen their actions against people who fly-tip. What impact have those measures had?
We have not assessed the impact, but I can tell the hon. Gentleman the latest statistics for his own council. There were more than 1,100 fly-tipping incidents, but just three fixed-penalty notices and no prosecutions.
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Q6
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Councils are facing issues with fly-tipping, especially due to the threat of bin strikes in Birmingham. The concern is that these events could lead to an increase in illegal dumping in neighbouring areas.
We know that fly-tipping is an expensive and dangerous nuisance. Local authorities such as Conservative-led Walsall council are taking a really proactive and determined approach to tackling it, but with bin strikes on our doorstep under the neighbouring Labour-led Birmingham city council, we fear more fly-tipping, particularly in the communities that border Birmingham. Alarmingly, we are hearing of rats the size of cats in Britain’s second city, and these squeaky blinders are definitely not welcome in Aldridge-Brownhills. What specific support can the Minister provide to neighbouring authorities in these specific circumstances, and what can she do to bring the bin strikes to an end?
Obviously Birmingham city council’s bin situation is a matter for the council, but, as a neighbouring MP in Coventry, we have not seen any of the fly-tipping that the right hon. Lady talks about seeing in Walsall. Both sides need to get round the table and sort this out for the benefit of the people of Birmingham.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific support requested was not addressed, and the bin strikes were not discussed beyond saying it is a matter for the council.
Changed Subject To Personal Experience
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