Agenda item

To receive a presentation from Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety.

***Please note the presentation will be to follow***

Resolved

(1)   That having given due consideration, the Flytipping presentation be noted.

The Committee considered a presentation from the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety and the Environmental Protection and Enforcement Manager that detailed issues related to fly tipping in Cherwell and how the Council responded to and investigated cases of fly tipping.

In introducing the presentation, the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety explained that fly tipping was handled by both Regulatory Services and Environmental Enforcement teams, and that as well as fly tipping reports they also investigated issues with commercial and domestic waste accumulation, dog fouling and abandoned vehicles.

Members were advised that fly tipping was a national issue, that was on an upward trend, but comparatively Cherwell was trending below average against other comparable Councils. National reports of fly tipping had increased by 6% in 2023-24, going from 1.085 million to 1.15 million instances in 2022/23. 60% of those reported fly tips, 688,000, involved household waste, an increase of 5% on the 2022/23 figures of 654,000 

Members were also advised that the Council and its officers employed a range of responses to fly tipping offences, from fixed penalty notices to community protection notices and out of court settlements. The Council were operating a proactive approach to deterring and preventing incidences of fly tipping, by means of increased officer presence, use of CCTV cameras to catch and deter, improvements to reporting software and channels as well as the removal of bottle banks which were often targets for such activities. It was also mentioned that efforts to educate residents and businesses of the available waste collection services as well as the implications of fly tipping and Illegal waste disposal.

In response to a question regarding the recent report of a very large incident of fly tipping on the River Cherwell in Kidlington and what measures were being taken to deal with it, the Environmental Protection and Enforcement Manager explained that due to the scale and nature of the case that it was being treated as an illegal land fill site and that investigations were ongoing alongside the Environment Agency Officers would provide a written update to members after the meeting detailing the situation and progress so far.

In response to a question regarding fly tipping on roadsides and who was responsible for the clearances in such areas, the Environmental Protection and Enforcement Manager explained that waste deposited on County Council roads was handled by Cherwell District Council, but waste on motorways such as the M40 was handled by contractors on behalf of the Highways Agency.

In response to a question regarding the prioritisation of urban versus rural fly tipping and whether priority was given to known areas prone to frequent incidents of illegal waste disposal, the Environmental Protection and Enforcement Manager explained that work was underway to analyse incidents on a ward by ward basis to identify target areas, with efforts being given to improving reporting software to enable an emphasis on an evidence led approach that would be needed to ensure that data was being collated to assist in identifying and prosecuting offenders.

In response to a question regarding business waste removal licenses and whether all businesses within the district held the appropriate licenses, the Environmental Protection and Enforcement Manager explained that licenses relating to the collection, processing and disposal of waste were issued and managed by the Environment Agency, and that also extended to any enforcement powers under those licences.

In response to a question relating to bulky waste amnesties and collection events and whether or not they were successful in tackling illegal dumping of waste, the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety explained that such events were of mixed success and often resulted in encouraging fly tipping in the areas holding the events and causing more costs for the removal of said waste.

In response to a question regarding whether increasing the volume of public bins would help with the issue of littering, the Environmental Protection and Enforcement Manager explained that public bins were the responsibility of Town and Parish Councils, and that the collection was often undertaken by the Cherwell District Council, but the issue of littering was a behavioural issue and that providing more bins would be costly and not necessarily fix the issue.

In response to a question regarding officer attendance at Parish Liaison meetings, and whether that would be a good route for dissemination of information relating to waste disposal, the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety said the team would look into attending going forward. 

In a response to a question regarding the role of Town and Parish Councils in aiding in reporting of fly tipping, the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety explained that any form of additional reporting would be welcomed and that building relationships with Town and Parish Councils was a priority in tackling localised fly tipping.

Resolved

(1)   That having given due consideration, the Fly tipping presentation be noted.