After finding that only 69 prosecutions were made for fly-tipping in the whole of Wales in 2016-17, Janet Finch-Saunders AM, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government, is calling on all Local Authorities to restrain from taking measures which could encourage this rubbish rash in our communities and countryside.

Janet said:

“These figures speak for themselves. Welsh local authorities just cannot successfully prosecute fly-tipping offenders: a problem which is getting worse as the number of prosecutions have fallen by almost 40% since 2014-15, and 10 authorities failed to prosecute a single offender.

“The decrease in the number of prosecutions coincides with an increase of more than a 1/5th in the number of incidents: to 38,580.

“For obvious reasons, prosecuting fly-tipping offenders is extremely difficult, therefore it is incumbent on Local Authorities to take measures which will not exacerbate the Wales wide problem.

“An excellent example of what not to do is here in my own constituency of Aberconwy where many residents have just experienced a yearlong trial of monthly bin collections. Is it a surprise that this trial has coincided with an increase in fly-tipping in Conwy from 1,078 incidents in 2015-16, to 1,351 in 2016/17? I would say not, and call on the Cabinet to oppose the proposed introduction of monthly collections across the County”.

ENDS

Notes

Fly-tipping prosecution outcomes by year

Recorded fly-tipping incidents by local authority

Opposition to proposal to introduce 4-weekly bin collections