Local standards
Plans to address our country’s deep regional divides must be grounded in the restoration of people’s sense of pride in their local place and community.
However, many places are suffering from falling standards and poor enforcement of the rules which keep local communities clean, safe and pleasant. Fly tipping in England has increased by 38% since 2010, and has now reached a ten-year high, with the north of England experiencing much higher levels of fly tipping than the south.
Our research and polling shows that voters across the country care deeply about local issues like fly tipping. Fly tipping costs hundreds of millions, damages the social fabric of our communities, impacts wildlife and chips away at our collective civic pride. Conversely, examples across the country show that efforts to tackle fly tipping build community cohesion and save councils money.
Local standards
Plans to address our country’s deep regional divides must be grounded in the restoration of people’s sense of pride in their local place and community.
However, many places are suffering from falling standards and poor enforcement of the rules which keep local communities clean, safe and pleasant. Fly tipping in England has increased by 38% since 2010, and has now reached a ten-year high, with the north of England experiencing much higher levels of fly tipping than the south.
Our research and polling shows that voters across the country care deeply about local issues like fly tipping. Fly tipping costs hundreds of millions, damages the social fabric of our communities, impacts wildlife and chips away at our collective civic pride. Conversely, examples across the country show that efforts to tackle fly tipping build community cohesion and save councils money.
The UK’s enforcement gap
Local Authorities are responsible for enforcing many of the rules which maintain standards in local communities; such as controls on fly tipping, pests, potholes, noise and air pollution.
But after years of budget cuts, and huge declines in staffing, Local Authorities are struggling to enforce the rules that keep our communities thriving. Local Environmental Health Officers in England and Wales have fallen by a third over the last decade, with environmental health enforcement visits halving over this period.
Fly tipping enforcement has plummeted to a ten-year low, with English authorities failing to investigate three-quarters of fly tipping incidents last year. Ten years ago, 70% of fly tipping incidents resulted in enforcement action. Today, that figure stands at just 40%.
Your stories
LOUISE’S STORY
People breaking planning rules is having a huge effect on my community - and there are no consequences for those who do it.
LUKE’S STORY
"On March 2, 2017 I was cycling home from work when I hit a pothole. The hole measured four inches in depth and was over a foot long."
REBECCA’S STORY
In September 2016, 1,000 tonnes of waste at a farm in Rugeley caught fire. Smoke travelled for four miles. It smouldered for 18 months.
JASON’S STORY
"My friend Mark and I were meeting, as we often do, for a Friday night beer when the subject of potholes came up. Mark is a car and scooter user and I’m a cyclist."
HUW’S STORY
As with many 20th century shop rows, Greenhill Parade in New Barnet is served by an unadopted lane, which runs behind the shops.
MR PRYCE’S STORY
The Flint Bridge Plantation is part of Brocket Park, a private park criss-crossed by public rights of way. The fly tipping is a result of an opening through the boundary, screened from the road, that is wide enough to admit a lorry or large van.