Wednesday 22 March 2017

Rochdale Fly-tipping Evokes Nothing Much!

MICK Coats' question about illegal fly-tipping on Spodden Valley off Rooley Moor Road, did not evoke much response from the assembled councillors on the Labour dominated Rochdale Township Committee meeting tonight.   Sullen councillors sat stiffly as Mr Coats asked what the owners of the controversial site invested with asbestos intend to do to stop or resolve the problem of the fly-tipping.
Ten days ago the Mail on Sunday journalists Ross Slater and Sanchez Manning warned of how an idyllic country estate endured the 'shocking toll of fly-tipping gangs who despoil Britain'.
The Mail story rells of how  'Balaclava-clad intruders used bolt-cutters to break into (an) estate (in rural Shropshire) .... and dump up to 200 tons of rubbish in woodland'. 
As a consequence the Mail on Sunday reports that the Staffordshire Police are appealing for information.
The Mail journalists comment on the situation regardin waste disposal across the country that we in Rochdale are all familiar with:
'Local authority waste collection services are being cut, leading to criminals offering to dispose of waste at knockdown prices.  They then dump it illegally.'
As the Mail on Sunday rages about the crisis of illegal dumping, Mr. Coats appealed the Rochdale councillors tonight for some kind of response but amid the concern about the state of debis being deposited on the slopes of Spodden Valley, from the assembled councillors reply came there none!
The best Mick Coats can hope for is that a written reply will be forthcoming shortly.

1 comment:

Councillor Cecile Biant said...

What a lot of nonsense! We already had a paper in front of us with the answers to the questions which the officer read out, and the ward councillors knew anyway. The Head of Public Protection had been on leave for 2 weeks, that is why Mick Coates did not get a specific response from Wendy Cocks, a fellow Councillor, as she wanted to check for any updates beforehand. We discuss TBA frequently informally.
Mick proclaimed that he is an expert, and I am familiar with his employment over many years, but he apparently failed to notice that the illegal tipping was mainly inert material which did not pose an immediate health risk. The Environment Agency are dealing with this, not the Council. Mick Coates has been sent the answers to his questions which I would have thought he would have shared with you by now.
The Councillors are all positive, friendly, knowledgeable, relaxed and diligent. We always try to respond to emails which are brief, civil, genuine requests, but not to those who are hell bent on nastiness or self-indulgence. Life is too short for that.
Most of us have a great deal of common sense, wisdom and experience. We are neither sullen nor were we sitting stiffly.
Please send me a photograph of how you sit, as I am curious to know how it compares with the Councillors present last night.
With best wishes,
Cecile Biant