The ruling Conservative party has announced new measures to punish fly-tippers and disruptive tenants, including plans to dock driver’s licence points and evict repeat offenders from social housing. Speaking on the party’s proposals, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared his party as the only one with a clear plan to “ensure safety, security and prosperity” in local communities.
The current maximum penalty for repeat fly-tipping offenders is five years in prison and an unlimited fine, but the new proposals could see lower-level offenders face driving penalties. Only 20% of fly-tipping cases result in fines. Critics claim that the party’s plan could “legalise littering”.
Labour also criticised Conservative’s proposal, accusing them of using empty words to address growing concerns about anti-social behaviour. They also pointed to government data that showed there had been over a million fly-tipping incidents in the past year during the Conservatives’ tenure.
The proposal includes sanctioning repeat offenders with driving penalties and evicting tenants who are deemed to be disruptive after three verified instances of anti-social behaviour. Under the new measures, local authorities and housing associations will have more power to take action.
Mr. Sunak has earlier banned nitrous oxide and set out new rules requiring vandals to repair public spaces within 48 hours of receiving an order. Despite his recent success with the new hot-spot policing programme, which led to nearly 800 arrests and 2,000 searches, the administration has faced criticism for the erosion of London frontline policing in austerity.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat spokesperson Helen Morgan, criticised the fines imposed for fly-tipping, citing they are so low that people are going unpunished up and down the country. Ms Morgan claimed that the ruling party has had sufficient time to toughen their stance on littering and fly-tipping but have failed repeatedly.
Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper criticised the new policy measures, describing it as empty rhetoric from a party that had allowed criminality, fly-tippers, and vandals to get away. She proposed to put more neighbourhood police back on the beat, tackle anti-social behaviour and increase the number of crimes being solved
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