An article in Today's Post highlights the continuing problem of flytipping of large items of furniture and rubbish in front gardens across Newtown and Redlands.
Although Kirsten and I have been banging on about these problems for ages, I find it ironic that it has taken work by the Police Neighbourhood Action Groups (NAGs) in these areas to highlight these longstanding problems to the Council. The problem is concentrated around properties that are rented out by private landlords, and it is certainly a big one.
When Redlands residents were consulted as part of the launch of Neighbourhood Policing in the ward last year, environmental issues came out as the second most important crime issue to people living in the neighbourhood. This shows the level of concern about the state of our streets. I'm not sure though whether it should be down to the Police and local residents to clean up this mess.
Despite the sterling work done by the Council's much needed and under-resourced licensing team to remind landlords of their responsibilities, the problem continues unabated around Redlands and much of central Reading.
As things stand it is very difficult for RBC's Streetcare team to do much about rubbish left in front gardens as it is private property. As residents in these neighbourhoods know, rubbish left by landlords and others often sits there for weeks and even months. The worst time of year in Redlands and the University area is the end of the University term in the summer where landlords routinely dump unwanted furntiture and other household items on to front gardens.
However, the problem of flytipping however is not just restricted to the terraced areas of East Reading.
When I attended the North Whitley NAG's Environmental Visual Audit (EVA) of Hexham Estate last week, bulky waste and rubbish left in gardens was probably the most common problem we encountered.
Frustratingly, the most RBC officers could do was to issue warning letters to those residents who had rubbish dumped in their gardens. There was nothing to stop people doing the flytipping doing the same thing again.
The same problem can be seen in business or commercial properties - often the target of flytippers.The process of getting the dumped rubbish in an office car park on Eldon Terrace which I reported a few weeks ago a) removed b) the offender charged for the cost of removal is complicated by the fact that the rubbish is on privately-owned land.
So what is to be done? As I've written here before, I feel strongly that the Council should rethink it's bulky waste policy. There may be a place for charging for waste collection such as for green waste, but I do think that the charges need to be set sensitvely to ensure that those on low or fixed incomes can afford to pay them. If charges are set to high...well the results are there for all to see.
There is also a big question mark over what happens when residents and or landlords refuse to pay the Council's charges and then decide to dump rubbish in gardens and elsewhere. People are doing this and in many places getting away with it and it may not be related to their ability to pay the charge.
If rubbish that is left on streets and pavements in Reading ends up getting collected anyway, is it surprising some people try and get away with out paying extra for collections?
I'm not convinced that the Council's increased revenues from bulky waste collections make up for some of our neighbourhoods being used as regular dumping grounds. It appears I'm not alone. Residents in Dee Park raised the issue back in 2004. The Labour Councillor with responsibilties for waste collections at the time said reverting back to the old policy of free waste collection was "not an option".
I wonder if Reading's Labour councillors (particularly those up for election in May) who represent neighbourhoods that have been hit by flytipping feel the same way about this charging policy now.
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