Member Article

Public To Monitor Local Authorities' Enviro Efforts

North East residents will soon have access to detailed information on the cleanliness and quality of their local environment. Environment Secretary, Margaret Beckett said that the expansion of the Local Environment Quality Survey for England (LEQSE) will mean that all districts in England will be scrutinised on everything from the number of weed-ridden and litter-strewn streets, to the quality of the litter bin collections.

The survey will be carried out by the ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ campaign and will take two years to complete, with the results available online – eventually down to postcode level. A recent MORI poll placed clean streets third - behind only low levels of crime and health services - in a survey of what makes somewhere a ‘good place to live’.

Mrs Beckett urged all local authorities to make the issue a top priority. She said: “There has been a real change in public behaviour thanks to campaigns and education, with more people than ever taking notice, and care, of their surroundings. “However, there continues to be a minority who have little respect for neither their neighbourhood nor their neighbours. “It is the local authorities which have the responsibility to ensure this minority does not continue to fly-tip, litterbug and graffiti. We have given them the powers to clamp down on such behaviour - now they must start using them.”

Some of the new powers contained within the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (2005) have already come into force. These include increases to the penalties for fly-tipping, tougher rules on abandoned cars, as well as clarification that those caught dropping chewing gum or cigarette butts can be issued with on-the-spot fines of £50. On April 6, another raft of measures will be announced. Most notably, local authorities will be able to issue fixed penalty notices for a number of new offences; there will also be new powers to deal with fly-posting and nuisance lighting.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .