Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has slammed Labour council bosses over their “abysmal” record on environmental crime. Latest figures show that, while fly-tipping rates across the North West are down, in Oldham there has been an astounding 275% increase in offences.
Councillor Sykes said, “We hear a lot of talk about the success of campaigns like “Don’t Trash Oldham” but the reality is Labour haven’t got a grip on environmental crime. These numbers are shocking. And the fact is, Labour have refused to listen to common sense solutions.”
Liberal Democrat councillors used the budget meeting in March to set out an alternative action plan on environmental crime.
Councillor Sykes said, “Liberal Democrats have proposed practical action and found the cash to crack down on people who blight our communities with these offences. But Labour councillors chose to vote against more enforcement and a tougher approach. The blame for the 275% rise in fly-tipping lies squarely with the Labour administration. They have absolutely no grasp on the basics.”
A Freedom of Information response provided to the Liberal Democrats earlier this year revealed that fewer fly-tipping fines were being meted out – just 33 in 2022, down from 50 in 2020. Oldham Council also confirmed that only 64 littering fines were issued in 2022, down from 194 in 2020, when Covid restrictions were still in place.
Councillor Sykes said, “People are completely fed up with the way their council is run. We’ve had more than 12 years of Labour and they still can’t get the basics right. The Liberal Democrats are the only party who can deliver real change for our public services and our communities.”