Councillor: Authorities don't take my residents' concerns over litter and fly-tipping seriously

When Peterborough City Council (PCC) voted on its budget for the new financial year, just one councillor voted against it.

That was Ansar Ali, who represents North ward near the city centre; an Independent who was, until earlier this year, a member of the Labour group.

Leaving party politics behind has allowed him to become a “real, strong voice” for his residents, he says, “without any fear or favour”.

He certainly has a strong voice in the council chamber: as he himself points out, he frequently speaks in meetings and always name-checks his North ward – to the point that those two words are met with giggles virtually every time they’re spoken.

While his former Labour colleagues abstained on the budget vote, Cllr Ali voted it down “out of frustration and as a protest because the people that I represent are telling me that things are getting worse by the day”.

The budget includes a five per cent increase in council tax, which Cllr Ali says is unfair to ask of his residents when issues such as litter, fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour don’t appear to be improving.

“Why should the residents in North ward be paying extra in this cost of living crisis when they’re not getting any returns?” he said.

All wards and in fact all cities deal with these issues, but visiting the area where Cllr Ali has lived for the past five decades it is striking just how much litter there is in the gutters, in the parks, on the road verges and even around the bins.

Residents says the area feels neglected

Residents such as Tara Khan are tired of living in an area with “filthy roads”, calling up the council virtually every day to ask for more to be done in the area she said she feels is being neglected.

The council is aware of the issues, another resident – Susan Mashford – said, and is usually quick to respond to fly-tipping; but the problem with litter is so great that people have begun to take on the challenge themselves.

She helps to ensure her own road is clear, she said, and elderly people have also been spotted collecting litter in the ward, separating it into different bins as they go.

While the council is responsible for waste collection, “it is not the council that fly-tips and drops litter”, as a PCC spokesperson put it, and residents do have a part to play.

Cllr Ali recognises this and has visited local schools in an effort to raise awareness about the issue.

There needs to be “investment and enforcement in the area”, he said, but there also needs to be a “concentrated effort to raise awareness and educate people through schools and community groups so that people can feel some sense of embarrassment about what they’re doing”.

Another issue, though, he says, is the number of alcohol and betting shops licensed in the area, which “contribute significantly to the issues with litter”.

Councillor says authorities 'don't take people here as seriously as they should'

Cllr Ali is also concerned with uneven road surfaces in the area and what he sees as a lack of investment compared with some other parts of the city.

Asked why he believes his ward is being neglected, he said: “I think partly because it’s got a lot of diversity, a lot of ethnic minority people living here, and council estates and social housing. The authorities are not taking people here as seriously as they should.”

A PCC spokesperson said the council is “fully committed” to tackling litter and fly-tipping in “all areas of Peterborough, including additional waste cleansing in central and north wards”.

Cllr Ali, who has represented North ward since 2016, is up for re-election in May. Is that perhaps why his “protest” against rising council tax has come now?

“People can read whatever they like into it,” he said. “But these are frustrations I’ve had over the years.”

What’s changed, he says, is that because he’s now an Independent he can speak up for his ward without having to conform to group policies and decisions.

“Previously I was in a political party and sadly when you are representing a party you are not always able to project your voice and be a voice for the communities and the residents you serve,” he said. “A lot of the time what you say and do is dictated by the political parties and I feel blessed to go Independent where I can be a real strong voice for my communities.”

It might be noted, though, that by his own admission he was deemed unfit to stand for election as a Labour candidate again by party officials and left after deciding not to appeal this decision.

Cllr Ali alleges that he was asked about old Facebook posts related to the Israel-Palestine conflict in a re-selection interview and that this was the reason for the decision.

Labour East said its selection processes are “carried out in line with our rules and procedures”.

PCC Labour group leader Cllr Dennis Jones has previously said he intends to stand candidates in all wards where elections are being held this year.

Cllr Ali would “obviously be disappointed” if he were to lose his seat, but would “accept the outcome”, he said.

He will stand on his record, he added, as “visible” and “approachable” where “many councillors across the city are hardly seen”.

Council increasing covert surveillance to catch fly-tipping offenders

At the most recent full council meeting – the one after the budget vote – Cllr Ali did raise the issue of fly-tipping, calling for greater action and enforcement.

Cllr Nigel Simons (Conservatives), cabinet member for waste and street scene, responded that he acknowledges that “in some areas it is more prevalent than others” and that officers concentrate their efforts on known hotspots.

Tackling fly-tipping involves instilling “community pride” through campaigns highlighting the issue, he said, as well as clearing the rubbish and using covert surveillance to identify offenders.

There has been a decrease in fly-tipping in the areas where cameras are installed, Cllr Simons continued, and enforcement action has been taken: since 1 April last year 179 fixed penalty notices have been issued and 35 cases sent for prosecution, he said.

More covert cameras may be installed in areas of the greatest need, he added, and the council is naming and shaming offenders.

A PCC spokesperson also highlighted the ways the council aims to further tackle the issue in future.

“To highlight the problems of littering in Peterborough we have organised Litter Action Week, offering everyone the chance to take part in litter picks with all bags collected being counted by ward, with certificates awarded for the largest haul,” the spokesperson said.

“We will soon be recruiting new waste and recycling officers who will specifically target underperforming recycling areas, waste contamination and tackling fly- tipping. We will also be carrying out a Spring Clean from 1 April which will see areas targeted that are not normally cleansed through our usual routes.

“Fly-tipping can be reported either online at www.peterborough.gov.uk/report-it-online or by calling 01733 747474. We would remind residents that household waste can be disposed of at the Household Recycling Centre in Fengate.”