Council to discuss setting up task force to combat fly-tipping in Peterborough
Since 2017 there has been a 19% increase in flytipping in the city
Peterborough City Council will discuss proposals for a new task force to combat fly-tipping in the area.
Councillor Angus Ellis, cabinet member for environment and transport, asked the council’s climate change and environment scrutiny committee to consider his request to set up the cross-party Task and Finish group.
At a meeting on Wednesday, January 15, the committee will be recommended to agree to the request, which would see a new group look at ways to combat the crime and review the council’s previous progress.
In May 2024, the council was awarded just under £50,000 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as part of a nationwide scheme to target fly-tipping hotspots.
The funding was used on further CCTV cameras at hotspot fly-tipping locations, educational programmes, a social media campaign and two advertising vans parked across the city during a weekend to raise awareness.
A report published ahead of the committee meeting reads: “Flytipping continues to be an issue across the city, with a continuation of year-on-year increases in prevalence.
“Since 2017 there has been a 19% increase in flytipping despite working hard to clear flytipping within the key performance indicator timeframe of 24 hours for hazardous waste and 48 hours for non-hazardous waste.”
The committee will also review and comment on a proposed new approach to the delivery of the council’s £2 million Eco Homes project.
A report states that, due to the financial constraints faced by the council, it may ‘significantly reduce’ its financial contribution to the project while still delivering its initial objectives.
The council is considering sites where there is the potential to build a total of 12 to 14 homes (four houses and eight to ten apartments).
The report suggests the council may reduce its financial contribution to the project from £2 million to between £430,000 to £460,000, with the remainder of the capital budget potentially being released.