Fly-tipping is a real bugbear of mine and I know that many residents share my annoyance over it.
When I join the regular litter picks in my Dogsthorpe ward, it feels like Groundhog Day, and I am sure the Litter Wombles must feel the same.
Fly tipping blights our communities and, and at a time when there is so much to be positive about in Peterborough, it’s frustrating that fly-tipping incidents have risen recently.
As a council, we are actively working to tackle fly-tipping and have launched a new campaign aimed at raising awareness about the problem and how we can all look to tackle it.
Throughout September, we will be featuring regular messages on our social media accounts focusing on the different types of fly-tipping, who commits it, how residents can report it and advice on getting rid of waste responsibly. Our messages are set to be promoted around the city and by the media.
Please look out for these messages and spread the word because tackling fly-tipping in Peterborough is a joint effort and something we need everyone’s help with.
The campaign comes after the council was awarded just under £50,000 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to target fly-tipping hotspots. The funding will see more cameras installed at hotspot locations, as well as enhanced work aimed at raising awareness of fly-tipping and waste disposal through educational programmes.
Our website section on fly-tipping has been updated with new information, highlighting the problems associated with fly-tipping, the penalties people face by committing it and, perhaps most importantly, details on how to report it. The page also contains advice about using registered waste carriers and how businesses and landlords should dispose of waste. I ask everyone to be vigilant as there are too many ‘cowboy carriers’ who do not have the appropriate licences to take waste away and the person using them is just as liable for not checking. Visit here.
I hope that this campaign will help raise awareness of the issue and the risks people run by fly-tipping, essentially leaving themselves liable to big fines and criminal records. Believe me, I will support all action to bring these people to book and I will value your help to do this.
Please bear in mind that the council doesn’t fly tip. It’s not the authority committing the act itself. We need people’s help to report it to us, to encourage others not to do it and, to be blunt, to shop those who do when they see fly-tipping happening.
In summary, we are doing our bit by investing money in new cameras and working with communities to educate them to dispose of waste correctly. I want this campaign to add to this work and make a positive difference in our ongoing quest to tackle fly-tipping in Peterborough.
Everyone who lives in Peterborough is currently being encouraged to check their electoral registration details or risk losing their chance to vote in future elections.
The annual canvass allows the council to keep the electoral register up to date, to identify who risks losing their voice at elections, and to encourage them to register before it’s too late.
We are asking everyone to keep an eye out for important updates from the council. The annual canvass is our way of making sure that the information on the electoral register for every address is accurate and up to date. To make sure you don’t lose your say at upcoming elections, simply follow the instructions which will be sent to you.
This is particularly important for people who have moved house recently, as research shows that recent home movers are less likely to be registered than those who have lived at the same address for a long time. If you’re not currently registered, your name will not appear in the messages we send. If you want to register, the easiest way is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
As a ward councillor, I am happy to provide help and advise to those who wish to vote and I am sure your ward councillors will be happy to help you, too.
As regular readers will be aware, I’ve been ‘waxing lyrical’ over the fantastic events we’ve had in Peterborough over the summer months.
The Monsters of the Sea exhibition at the Cathedral was a tremendous success, running from April until last weekend. It attracted 30,000 visitors and 5,000 shark selfies were taken along with 7,000 kids activity books. It featured 16 monsters, five giant squid tentacles, 100 volunteers giving 3,000 hours of service and last but by no means least, one Finny the Shark!
I want to say a big well done to everyone involved with this outstanding event and I look forward to seeing similar exciting exhibitions there in future.
Similarly, the recent 45th Peterborough Beer Festival was a big draw as always, with around 22,000 attending over the five days. Approximately 68,000 pints of ale were consumed along with 12,500 pints of cider. I spent a very pleasant Friday afternoon there myself and was pleased to see so many friendly faces coming over to say hello. Again, a big thank you to everyone who played a part in making it the success it is.
Sometimes we take it for granted that we have such wonderful events here and it’s something that we want to build on, now and in the future because we all want Peterborough to be a thriving city in which people want to live, work and play. Having a vibrant events calendar is vitally important, I’m sure you will agree.