Wolverhampton Tories call for more street cleaners and mobile tips
Wolverhampton's Conservatives called for the introduction of mobile tips and more street cleaners as part of a drive to rid the city of litter and fly tipping.
The opposition Conservative group proposed the measures at last night's meeting of the Labour-run council, which passed a budget to increase the council tax by 4.99 per cent, and reduce spending by £17.2 million.
In an alternative budget but before the council, the Tories proposed spending an extra £476,000 on tackling litter and fly-tipping. They said the money could be found from a one per cent cut in expenditure across non-essential services.
They called for £316,000 to be spent on five extra street cleaners, as well new equipment to tackle the growing litter problem. They also proposed spending £160,000 setting up a mobile recycling service, saying it would reduce fly tipping across the city.
Councillor Simon Bennett, leader of the Conservative group, said litter was one of the most frequent complaints raised by residents, affecting community pride, public health, and the environment.
He said despite the efforts of the existing cleaning teams, Wolverhampton’s streets were blighted by waste, with residents voicing their frustration over the declining appearance of their neighbourhoods.
Councillor Bennett said: "The streets of Wolverhampton are looking worse than ever, and residents are fed up with litter being left for days on end.
"The Conservative group’s plan will put more boots on the ground and invest in the equipment needed to clean up our city properly.
"A cleaner Wolverhampton means a safer, healthier, and more welcoming environment for everyone."
He said fly-tipping was also a serious issue across the city, creating environmental hazards, health risks, and financial burdens for both the council and the community.
"Despite Labour’s previous initiatives, fly-tipping continues to blight the city, with dumped waste polluting land and water, attracting vermin, and damaging local neighbourhoods," said Councillor Bennett.
He said the Conservative proposal would see the introduction of a weekly mobile waste-collection service, where a staffed skip would be placed at different locations across the city.
This would allow residents to dispose of household waste safely and at no cost.
Councillor Bennett added: "Rubbish is being dumped across Wolverhampton, damaging our communities, creating health risks, and driving up council costs.
"Residents want clean streets and accessible waste disposal, not endless campaigns that fail to tackle the real problem.
"Our mobile household waste recycling centres would provide a convenient and free way for people to get rid of unwanted waste properly, helping to cut down on fly-tipping and improve our neighbourhoods."
The Conservatives' alternative budget also proposed free car parking on Sundays and spending £249,000 on a machine to repair potholes across the county.
The party said these measures, which would cost a total of £1.2 million, could have been funded by a one per cent reduction in expenditure across council departments, excluding adult care, children’s services, education and public health.
But Councillor Steve Evans, deputy leader of the ruling Labour group, said there was no guarantee that these savings could be found.
Failure to identify them would mean eating into the council's reserves, something that would be repeated year after year if the measures continued.
"I don't think that's good economics," he said.
The Conservative measures were defeated, and the Labour budget was approved.
