Call for stronger action over Walsall fly-tipping 'pandemic'

Councillors said despite the good job being done by council officers, people were being left frustrated at the amount of rubbish being dumped on both public and private land.

A report to the council’s scrutiny overview committee said enforcement officers have dished out 16 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) of £400 for large fly-tipping incidents in 2022/23 – 13 of which have been paid, with three going through the courts.

A total of 213 FPNs of £150 have also been issued for littering, while successful prosecutions at court saw five offenders hit for a total of almost £17,000 in fines and costs.

But Streetly councillor Suky Samra said the total number of fly-tipping complaints – which stands at 667 – coupled with the average time taken to respond and tackle incidents suggested more enforcement action was needed.

Councillor Garry Perry, deputy leader for resilient communities, said Walsall has the highest rate of issuing FPNs in the Black Country so far this year.

He added they didn’t issue fines on a ‘whim’ and there was a process to follow to ensure they had the evidence needed to defend any challenges in court.

David Elrington, head of community safety and enforcement, said they were working more closely with police and private landowners such as housing associations, which also get targeted by offenders, to tackle the problem.

Palfrey ward councillor Sabina Ditta said sometimes fly-tipping and litter is cleared, only for offenders to return hours later.

She said: “Officers are doing a fantastic job. They have come out on ward walks on many occasions to try and address the issue.

“I know that’s out of their time, I know the pressures and costs. We’ve spent a lot on areas to tidy up.

“I know the process is difficult in enforcement but we can start reviewing that and seeing robust measures. Education on one side, we absolutely need that, but for repeat offenders we need more robust enforcement.

“In my area particularly, I can see that is having an impact and changing the area. It is really really bad – the state of the streets right now. You can’t even walk through them.”

Walsall Labour group leader Aftab Nawaz added: “I’m happy with trying to work with our partners.

“I know many members get really frustrated when we see fly-tipping and it’s on housing association land and we’re told by our officers – quite rightly – that it’s not our responsibility. And so then we have to go to them to try to sort it out.

“That really frustrates the community because they just see fly-tipping. They don’t see it on council land or housing association land.”

Councillor Kerry Murphy, portfolio holder for clean and green said: “It is an absolute pandemic out there for fly-tipping.

“Obviously, more officers will help but the problem is beyond that. We haven’t got eyes and ears everywhere.

“That’s why we need the public’s help to start naming and shaming people. There’s a reward of £500 for anyone who gives information which leads to a prosecution.”

But Councillor Samra said: “We’ve had 667 complaints. It’s taken us an average of eight days to respond and 26 days to complete. I don’t know what else we want people to do about complaining.

“There seems to be a problem going back to enforcement. We don’t seem to be enforcing and this is one of those areas which derives an income if we issue fines.”