Remembrance Sunday
We will remember them. Whilst I am preparing with the community to ensure the Hanworth War Memorial is ready for 9th November Remembrance Sunday and 11th November Armistice Day, this year is special as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Hanworth War Memorial is on the border of Hampton and Sunbury and every year we see great support from the residents, local communities and especially a wonderful service organised from Revd Debs Wignall, Vicar of St Richard’s Church, Hanworth. Please join wherever you are to commemorate the 80th anniversary and Remembrance Sunday.
Fly-tipping and clean streets
One of the biggest frustrations for people here in the London Borough of Hounslow is fly-tipping. It’s not glamorous politics, but it really matters. When you see a pile of dumped rubbish at the end of your road, it changes how you feel about the place you live in. It’s about pride, and right now, too many residents feel like the council isn’t getting the basics right.
I arranged a walk with council officers to visit the hotspots where people frequently fly-tip. It was a very good session, and I was in a separate discussion with Hounslow Highways to understand where they can involve removing fly-tipping. Furthermore, I am in discussion to drop notice or information in some areas about fly-tipping and the penalty.
Over the past year, Hounslow has recorded more than 27,000 fly-tipping incidents. That’s one of the highest figures in London. The council spent around £370,000 clearing it up, yet the problem doesn’t seem to get any better. That works out to about 92 incidents per 1,000 residents. In fact, Hounslow ranks among the worst in England: placing it 7th worst in the country! It’s no wonder people in Hanworth Village and across the borough feel like they’re fighting a losing battle to keep their streets clean.
Every week, me and my colleagues get photos from residents showing mattresses, black bags and furniture dumped behind garages or on the grass verges.
People are angry, and rightly so. They pay their Council Tax and expect clean, safe streets. What makes it worse is when the council then turns around and fines people who are actually trying to do the right thing.
A story that caught a lot of attention recently really brought this home. A small business owner in Brentford, Carmen Parfenie, was fined £1,000 for putting a flattened cardboard box into a recycling bin. She thought she was recycling responsibly, and, by the sounds of it, she was. There were no signs saying the bin was residents-only, and the waste was clearly recyclable. Yet she was treated like a criminal.
I think most residents would agree that’s just not right. Of course we need enforcement, but it should be fair and proportionate. A £1,000 fine for one cardboard box during a cost-of-living crisis doesn’t sound like common sense to me.
Stories like this make people lose faith in the system. We all want fly-tipping tackled properly, but we need the council to focus on the real problem, the repeat dumpers and commercial offenders, not people who made an honest mistake or were just trying to recycle.
In Hanworth, the situation is similar. We have hotspots that everyone knows about, alleyways near the shops, certain parts of Hounslow Road, areas near the flats, yet week after week, the same piles reappear. Residents do their best to report it, but it often takes too long to clear, and the cycle continues.
What I’d like to see, and what we as Conservatives are pushing for, is a bit of balance and common sense in how the council handles this:
- Start by targeting the repeat offenders, especially those running rogue businesses dumping trade waste. A seriously tough approach is needed to actual fly-tippers
- Make it clearer what people should do with bulky items and recycling, and when collections are due
- And above all, keep enforcement fair. A warning or a smaller fine for a first mistake is often enough to change behaviour.
There’s no shortage of goodwill in Hounslow. Residents care about their area and are doing their bit, reporting issues, joining clean-ups, helping neighbours. What they want in return is a council that takes that same pride and applies a bit of judgement before reaching for the penalty book.
I’ll keep raising this in the council chamber because it speaks to a bigger issue. Local government should be about getting the simple things right: clean streets, quick responses, and fair treatment.
If you spot regular fly-tipping sites or think you’ve been unfairly treated, please do let me know. Together we can make Hounslow a cleaner, fairer and more decent place to live, the kind of place we all want it to be.