Liberal Democrats successfully call for a greater focus on fly-tipping in Wychavon
Wychavon District Council have agreed to call for greater penalties for fly-tipping after a motion was agreed at a full council meeting on Wednesday 15th July.
The motion, focused on the increased difficulties of fly-tipping and illegal waste sites, focused on tackling the serious environmental crimes that have been concerning residents in the area for some time. This has become especially prominent around the Pershore area where repeated illegal waste sites have appeared. Concerns have been mounting, with local taxpayers left frustrated as they have to foot the clean-up bill.
The Council also noted its frustration at the overall low fixed penalty notices issued for fly-tipping, with the average court fine being just £539 in 2024/25. The motion included writing to the government to request sentencing guidance and court practice for fly-tipping reflect the true cost of clean-up and community harm, so that fines imposed in practice move closer to the statutory maximum rather than the £539 currently. The motion also included encouraging courts to use the community payback scheme which require offenders to help put right the damage they have caused. This would include clean-up work or direct payments towards remediation through
Cllr Jodi Arnold, who proposed the motion, says: “This is one of the biggest issues raised by residents in my ward. With fly-tipping often seen on the side of the road, we need to ensure we have the mobile CCTV cameras available to target hot spots so residents can see we are taking action and improving our environment.”
Cllr Emma Sims, who seconded the motion, says: “While I am disappointed the council did not want to pursue tackling illegal waste sites at this time, I welcome that we have been able to reach an agreement on applying pressure to the government to make fly-tipping more of a priority. It is not fair that residents are having to foot the bill for others poor behaviour and we need to ensure that the fine matches the cost to our residents and our environment.”
Full details of the motion can be found here: