Jo slams East Dunbartonshire Council for failure to tackle littering

1.51.01pm GMT Tue 27th Jan 2009

Jo has criticised East Dunbartonshire Council for failing to issue litter fines, after a recent survey by revealed that only two fines had been issued in 12 months.

The survey conducted by The Scotsman's revealed that while Glasgow City Council issued 5,301 fines in the twelve month period and Inverclyde managed 152, East Dunbartonshire Council issued only two.

Commenting, Jo said:

"I receive lots of letters, emails and calls from constituents who are upset about the amount of litter in East Dunbartonshire, and it is shameful that the Council is failing to use the powers available to it to address this problem. We live in a very beautiful area, but the look of our green spaces is being spoilt, and issuing more fines would be a good deterrent to people dropping litter. The Council have told me they don't have the resources to allow for the upkeep for more bins and cleaning, and issuing could also help offset those costs."

The Scotsman has published its findings here: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Litter-louts-getting--clean.4877954.jp

The text of Jo's letter to the council is below:

Mr Gerry Cornes Chief Executive

East Dunbartonshire Council

Tom Johnston House

Civic Way

Kirkintilloch

G66 4TJ

Our ref: LR/JS45795 26 January 2009

Dear Mr Cornes,

Litter fines

Following the recent publication of the figures of how many litter fines had been issued in each local authority, I was disappointed to learn that only two fines have been issued in East Dunbartonshire in the past year. This was in contrast to many other local authorities, many of which have issued over a hundred fines.

As the local MP, I receive a large number of letters, emails and calls regarding litter problems in the area. Whenever I have contacted the Council about this, I have been reminded that the Council do not have the financial resources to allow for the upkeep for more bins and cleaning. This lack of enforcement action does not suggest that the Council is taking the problem of litter seriously enough. The issuing of litter fines would not only deter individuals from dropping litter, but enable the Council to recoup some of the cost of enforcement.

I would be grateful if you could address these concerns and advise me of what plans the Council has to increase the enforcement activity to deal with local litter problems. I appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely,

Jo Swinson MP