Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director Community

The Committee considered a report which contained an overview of fly-tipping in Harrow and the current and future actions being taken to address it in the Borough.

The Head of Service (Community and Public Protection) introduced the report and drew particular attention to the legislation and factors that contributed to fly-tipping in Harrow.  The Committee was informed of the mapping of reports of incidences of fly-tipping by Ward which indicated that the lowest was 154 and the highest 850.  However there could have been multiple reporting of sites.  It was agreed that copies would be circulated to Ward Councillors as it was important that Members understood the impact on their areas.

The Committee was informed that the large scale dumping of waste had diminished and been replaced by smaller, more household waste fly tips.  In Harrow reports of fly tipping from 2011 to 2015 had increased by 5% but the tonnage had decreased.  Only 4% of fly-tipping had been identified as commercial waste, which was considered to result from the inspection regime.  A lot of black bags were left next to bins in the knowledge that they would be removed by Council operatives.

In addition, the Committee noted the increased number of HMOs (Homes in Multiple Occupation) with a 72% increase in 4 years and a 376% increase in suspected HMOs in the same period.  From December 2017 a mandatory condition on all HMOs stipulated that Council policy must be adhered to, for example on how many bins were provided.

Examples of the current approach to tackling fly-tipping were noted including:

·                     selective licensing to place specific conditions on licences for private rented accommodation regarding waste storage and disposal;

·                     work in conjunction with Kingdom regarding environmental enforcement and joint work with the London Fire Brigade;

·                     a 2018 Keep Tidy initiative of which 10 out of the 19 recommendations made were communication based;

·                     a Lean Review of Fly-tipping which examined the fact that an intelligence led approach was the best means, hitting the areas of main concern and clearing the others without delay;

·                     visits were made to schools and it was recognised that in addition to pupils being educated on the issue they put pressure on parents to dispose of litter and waste appropriately.

The Portfolio Holder for Environment stated that by accompanying the teams, she had seen the large amount of work undertaken on the issue.  With regard to questions on the work of the night riders, she informed Members that a report was generated during the day and outstanding work handed over to those on night duty.

In response to reference to fly-tipping issues at communal premises such as the alleyways behind shops, for example in Central Harrow, Members were informed that such areas were targeted but it was sometimes difficult to identify the perpetrators.  The Commercial Safety Team targeted the issue in conjunction with inspections but it took time due to the available resources. Initiatives included hot spot work in particular Wards to identify businesses that were involved.  Sometimes the extension of premises resulted in insufficient rubbish storage, a difficulty that was being investigated by an enforcement and waste review.

In response to a question concerning the frustration of residents with regard to fly-tipping on service roads, alleyways and flats, Members noted that there was a lack of understanding that although Environmental Compliance investigated any fly tip whether on public or private land, it did not have a legal responsibility with regard to private land.  An example was a service road in Edgware parts of which were owned by 34 people and as the Council collected the rubbish residents blamed the Council for the mess.  As it had been difficult  to identify the perpetrators, a Community Protection Order had been served on all 34 owners and costs would be recovered for any future rubbish removal.

Regarding whether removal on private land would set a precedent for clearing rubbish, after the first instance residents do not take action as they think the Council will.  The Committee was informed of the setting up of a Fly-tipping Strategy and operational Plan with the aim to provide a sustainable approach.  The Strategy would be submitted to Cabinet and Council and would take into account all relevant parties including households, private landowners, property landowners, business owners and communities to tackle fly-tipping with the aim for it to be seen as a crime that took up resources.

A Member expressed concern that CCTV warning signs had been erected at sites where a camera was not visible.  Members were advised that covert cameras were harder to identify and some cameras moved around the borough as required.  Any concerns notified by Members would be responded to.

A Member stated that figures for fly-tipping in the report were different to those quoted in the Corporate Plan and requested that the information be consistent.

In response to questions from Members, the Committee was informed that::

·                     a bin review was undertaken for any areas identified as a hotspot which included whether insufficient capacity of bins was a factor;

·                     leafletting took place when an area was targeted and the officers would extend the distribution if appropriate.  It was agreed that the leaflets be circulated to Ward Councillors.  Officers would ensure that future leaflets included details of the reporting app;

·                     the need to recognise the different languages spoken in an area was important when considering who to target when communicating in a target area;

·                     officers would follow up Members’ concern that whilst the app for reporting fly-tipping was useful, its existence was not widely known, particularly as it was not mentioned on the website;

·                     the suggestion of a temporary review of the charge for disposal of mattresses on a single item basis provided ownership was proved would be considered.  It was stated that amnesty days had taken place in the past but the Council did not want people to anticipate it; 

The officer was thanked for an interesting in depth report and agreed to provide an update.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.