Many Central residents and businesses have had a gut full of Council excuses for dirty streets and alley ways. Cuts to services are not the only reasons for their failure. They have been reluctant to back your Labour councillor's calls for direct action against the culprits.
Many Central residents and businesses have had a gut full of Council excuses for dirty streets and alley ways. Cuts to services are not the only reasons for their failure. They have been reluctant to back your Labour councillor's calls for direct action against the culprits.
Waste and Tipping issues top the list of complaints your ward councillors receive and we have followed every avenue to get the improvements you deserve. This includes visits to Central Ward from Council officers and the Cabinet Member responsible for Streetsmart.
At the heart of Tory enforcement inactivity is a policy that expects good local people to get involved and clean up behind dirty culprits. The scale of the problem makes this an impossible expectation of the most forgiving of neighbours. We do know residents and businesses care due to the complaints; their reward for caring should not be a request to clean up behind others.
Things have got so bad we had to get the Government involved. The reply from the responsible Minister makes it clear the local Conservative Council have all the powers they need to act. This includes dealing with pavements blocked by shop Euro bins and their over spilling waste.
“In highways law, the footway is a part of the highway and it is a offence to deposit anything on the highway that interrupts a person using the highway.”
It is clear the failing Streetsmart Policies are not down to lack of powers. It is about the Conservative Administrations failure to act.
Your Labour Councillors working with local businesses have pressed for improvements. We are now seeing some action in the lower part of the Town Centre. We would now like to see an end to Businesses, and Residents, reporting overflowing bins, dirty streets and tipping in alley ways. We believe only decisive action will make the difference needed.
Central Ward needs better and more appropriate action than a Green Waste charge of £40 per year. Relying on additional charges or car use will not solve existing problems, especially for the carless. Additional charges are highly likely to lead to things getting worse. We don't want failed policies or barefaced cheek. We need action against those responsible. In our eyes the lack of enforcement against the culprits has just produced a string of excuses from the Conservative Council. Only a change in Administration is likely to get the action we need.
You can report problems in your local area to Swindon Borough Council’s Street Smart team on 01793 445501 (Monday to Friday 8.00am-8.00pm)