The Southwark Liberal Democrats are calling on the council to re-introduce ‘community skips’ to tackle flytipping as the latest figures have shown just 2.6% of incidents end up in a fine.
Community skip schemes allow council’s to help people get rid of bulky waste for free by collecting their unwanted items at specified times and locations and donating any reusable items to those who need them.
Currently, Wandsworth, Brent and Barnet councils use community skips. The schemes provide an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional flytipping disposal.
Southwark Council was operating a monthly community skip in Trinity Church Square, but this was discontinued in 2019 after the council stopped using the necessary vehicles due to ULEZ restrictions.
Local Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Cllr Rachel Bentley said re-introducing the scheme was a “no-brainer” given the “well documented” issues with flytipping.
The latest government statistics show Southwark was the ninth most flytipped borough in London in 2022/23, yet just 2.6% of reported cases ended up in a fine while nearly £1m is spent disposing of flytipped waste.
In July last year, the Southwark Liberal Democrats proposed a council motion containing a raft of measures to tackle flytipping and improve street cleaning. Labour voted it down unanimously.
Commenting, Deputy Leader of the Southwark Liberal Democrats Cllr Rachel Bentley said:
“Southwark residents are sick of their streets being littered with flytipping and fed up with Labour’s unwillingness to tackle the issue. Community skips are a community focused solution that is good for the environment and helps people access items they may not be able to afford. During a cost-of-living crisis and climate emergency, these schemes are an absolute no-brainer and Southwark needs to bring them back.”
