Fly-tippers warned Tameside council chiefs will 'come down hard' on them

Fly-tippers in Tameside have been warned the council will ‘come down hard’ on them as part of a crackdown on antisocial behaviour.

At the latest meeting of the council’s executive cabinet, council leader Ged Cooney threw the recent issue of fly-tipping into the conversation as the team approved their new antisocial behaviour policy. The council have increased mobile CCTV coverage across the borough in order to catch any perpetrators in the act.

“People want to see action being taken through prosecution or other responses where they pay for what they have done,” Coun Cooney told the cabinet sitting within the Tameside One building.

“Our enforcement team is coming down strongly on this now. It is not just about people being a nuisance, it is about our people and the nuisance it is causing the community.

“You have been warned, we will prosecute you.”

The meeting heard how residents are paying unlicensed rubbish collectors to dispose of their waste – which is ending up in local fields and beauty spots. The town hall bosses made it clear that their enforcement teams will track down who hired these fly-tippers to dump their rubbish and they will face prosecution as well where necessary.

Coun John Taylor added that licenced companies who dispose of waste properly should be promoted by the council so that residents know who can be trusted for hire. 

“You can’t drive anywhere now without seeing a field with some rubbish dumped there,” Coun Cooney added. He explained that one resident contacted him recently about men in yellow jackets claiming to be council workers dumping a refrigerator in a field.

READ MORE: https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/tameside-reporter/tameside-council-day-of-action-brings-light-to-flytipping-problem/

There will be a 12-week consultation on the new antisocial behaviour policy – which seeks to prevent any conduct that has caused or is likely to cause a nuisance, harassment, alarm, or distress to any person. The policy states that the council, where necessary, can take action in the form of prosecutions through fines and the courts as well as possible closures of venues causing issues. 

Criminal behaviour orders; Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs); civil injunctions; Community Protection Warnings; and informal action such as mediation or letters all come under the umbrella of action the council can take in the new policy. 

Also on the agenda at the executive cabinet meeting on March 27 was an update on the Ashton Town Hall renovation. A total of £3.4m from the £19.9m Levelling Up Funding pot for the area will go towards the town hall which will see the repair of the front elevation parapet and building façade.

Coun Cooney praised the update on the work that is ongoing and explained this is a win for Ashton and the surrounding towns as this will be “the catalyst for growth” in the area. 

‘Make Smoking History in Tameside’ – the plan to reduce smoking in the borough was also approved by the council bosses. This would see the council get their hands on £413,000 from the government’s ‘local stop smoking services and support’ from the Department of Health and Social Care.

This will go towards helping people to stop smoking by creating an environment where it is the norm to be smoke free, tackling illicit and underage sales, increasing awareness of the dangers and creating support groups. Hearing how Tameside has the fourth highest prevalence in England and the highest in the North West for smoking (20.2 per cent), Coun Jack Naylor commended the report. 

The man in charge of growth, business and employment identified himself as “the token smoker in the room” and admitted his regret over restarting the habit six months ago. He and the council leader shared how difficult the journey to quit can be.

Coun Cooney concluded the meeting by saying: “Never stop giving up (smoking), as it will eventually work for you.”