NEW rules which will see fly-tippers receive tougher financial penalties if they are caught or found to be involved in incidents of dumping have been hailed as a ‘huge step forward’ for Barnsley.
An environmental crime plan - which will pave the way for heftier fines - was approved by ruling cabinet members on Wednesday.
As the Chronicle revealed last week, a two-tiered approach to fly-tipping fines will be adopted which will see a £400 penalty for between one and five bags’ worth of waste left, while five or above will climb to £1,000.
Graffiti cases will see fines double from £100 to £200, while householders’ punishments for allowing illegal waste carriers to take rubbish away will also double from £200 to £400.
It’s hoped the move will result in people thinking twice about fly-tipping or allowing unlicensed waste carriers to take rubbish away.
Coun James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and highways, said: “I’m very pleased with this as fly-tipping incurs significant costs to this council.
“This isn’t just reserved for Barnsley as it’s a national issue, but we absolutely recognise the importance of this as it’s something that impacts our communities.
“We’re enormously fortunate to have hundreds of residents who give up their time to volunteer in their local area in order to keep it tidy, so it was therefore vital that they were involved in this document’s co-production.
“It gives us a strong platform to take action.”
The meeting - at Barnsley Town Hall - saw councillors condemn fly-tippers’ attitudes after it was revealed a recent tip of asbestos was cleared from land in Elsecar.
Council leader Sir Steve Houghton added: “It’s a huge step forward and I fully agree with what it sets out to do.
“The more we can do to put people off, the better.
“It’s important to say those who blight our borough are in the minority and we have an enormous amount of good people who clean up, give up their time and that’s all to make their respective areas look tidier.
“They’re the people who we should be celebrating as without them, we really would struggle.
“We’ve endured years of austerity and as a council we don’t have as many resources as we’d like, so they’re invaluable.”
Clearing up instances of tipping cost taxpayers in the town £265,000 in the last financial year but just 1,225 fixed penalty notices were issued.
Matt O’Neill, executive director for growth and sustainability at Barnsley Council, said the new strategy showed the local authority’s commitment to taking action.
“Littering and environmental blight not only harms the environment but also affects people’s sense of pride in their community.
“Our new environmental crime strategy shows our commitment to creating a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable Barnsley for everyone.
“The development of our strategy would not have been possible without the invaluable input and knowledge of our volunteers.
“To achieve the ambitions within our plan, we need everyone to play their part by recycling right and preventing items from becoming litter in the first place.”
