This is an open email that I've sent to my local Councillors and the press, it should say it all.
This is an open email to my local Councillors. In particular I write to Councillor Gary Parker who has at least managed to give me comparatively substantial responses to my queries in the past, This is compared to Councillor Allan MacCarthy, who simply said that Councillor Janet Gillman was dealing with the problem (and that after a substantial delay due to "illness"), and Councillor Gillman herself who after a brief (ninety word) letter saying that the current problems were reported with no mention of a longer term plan.
Once again the top of Floyd Road is in an unacceptable state. The blue Clear Away bin that Waste Services said belonged to the local Kebab shop has reappeared and the green bins outside number 2 are full of plastic sacks. There are piles of plastic sacks and opposite, between number 1 and the top of the street, down the alley way are more green bins and plastic sacks with organic waste rotting in the summer hear. The smell is, on this warm Sunday evening, something that is rather impressive. I've attached a number of photos with this message that show the problem, what they don't show is that during the few minutes that it took for me to take them several people walked past me either commenting on the smell or simply wrinkling their noses.
In an email to me dated the 25th of June Councillor Parker told me he was "continuing to deal with issues regarding waste management in the Charlton area." One month has past, how effective can anyone claim that that "dealing" has been. If anyone has the chutzpah to claim that the response has been in any way effective I challenge them to come within a few meters of the top of my street, take a deep breath and then to repeat that same claim.
Councillors Parket, MacCarthy and Gillman have the audacity to claim that they are of the Charlton Ward. My dictionary informs me that the root meaning of the word "ward" is "keep safe, guard."
Consider the following:
1) We've had 7 months of the new bin scheme.
2) We have the same residents and businesses continually soiling my street with the same refuse.
3) Only one of my three Councillors has entered into any form of dialogue what so ever with me.
4) Councillor MacCarthy has himself been appointed to the role of Deputy Mayor of the borough.
I claim that not one of my Councillors, or indeed the Council itself, cares for, keeps safe or guards my local area.
They know about what is happening but still it continues to happen.
To be ignorant of a problem and to do nothing to resolve it is one thing.
To be aware of a problem and to still fail, or worse to not attempt, to resolve it is surely worse.
And this is how they tackle so simple an issue as to keep the streets clean and safe. Do they ask, or expect, us to trust them to deal with anything more serious?
And so once again I challenge my local Councillors to step up to that which they promised. I challenge them to care for, keep safe and guard the people that elected them into office.
You choose to stand for office, so now show that you stand for your residents or continue to prove that you simply don't care.
8 comments:
Ya know C.A,
Before this became 'the bin blog' you used to get comments.
I live in Troughton Road, and although the problem isn't as bad as you have it in Floyd Road I have to agree that the recently implemented refuse scheme is appalling.
The kind of confusion over types of waste that they have created is bad enough for a fairly savvy couple in their mid-thirties. God only knows how it affects the elderly. That is just a conceptual problem with the scheme, the practicality of it now is that it is actually beginning to create an environment suited to disease and pestilence. I can't believe I'm even writing that...
I will happily join any cause against this ludicrous policy.
There's something that quite appeals to me about a comment saying that I don't get comments anymore...
It is a shame that so much of my "Charlton" time is spent moaning about state of my street.
I find it hard to write about other things when there is such a glaring problem that appears to be being ignored by the Council. I can't just pretend that everything is fine and dandy in Charlton, if I could I guess I'd be writing for Greewich Time.
Wouldn't it be good if the people that did used to leave comments are in fact contacting the Council themselves and adding to the pressure for them to clean up the mess that they've been ignoring since the new bin scheme came in?
The state, and smell, of our streets is a serious issue that neither the Council, the opposition or the local media really seem to care about.
Someone's got to record it.
I dont think you need to justify what you write about on your own blog surely??! He is most likely a councillor.
Its going to be interesting on Saturday when Charlton have a friendly game - what with the road being closed as well and people having to squeeze walk past all that rubbish! It wont look good. Or do you think Saturday morning cleansweep will be out?
Isnt it about time you start having a go at th pigs that live in your local area creating this problem ie the residents rather than blaming the council for the scum that live in your street?
"Neither the Council, the opposition or the local media really seem to care about"
Well the Liberal Democrat councillors put down the following motion at last Wednesday's Council:
(sorry it's a bit long)
"Council wishes to take stock following the introduction of the part-fortnightly rubbish collection system in January 2008.
Council notes that estimated recycling levels between January-March 2008 were 42%, compared to 24% in the whole of 2006-07. Compostable rubbish has increased fourfold following the introduction of the separate collections for food and garden waste.
Less positively Council notes many complaints about untidy streets due to the greater use of black bags.
Council welcomes the decison to purchase bins which will be offered to residents to use for non-recyclable rubbish in place of black bags, although it notes that this may cost over £1 million and believes that the problems should have been foreseen earlier.
Council notes that, while it is frustrating that a minority of residents are not co-operating with the new collection arrangements, it is not accepatble to leave bins deliberately uncollected even if they contain the wrong type of rubbish.
Council therefore:
1, Thanks all staff involved with the new rubbish collection system;
2. Congratulates new residents who have contributed to the increased recycling levels;
3. Apologises to residents for the extra mess on our Borough's streets since January;
4. Calls on Councillors Roberts and Sidhu to repeat this apology in a signed article in Greenwich Time;
5. Guarantees that all bins will be collected promptly even when contaminated by the wrong type of rubbish;
6. Will collect black bags weekly until the bins for residual waste become avaialble;
7. Will use all available powers to deal with residents who consistenetly fail to separate their rubbish in the proper way. Where such residents are private tenants Council will endeavour to make the owner of the property take responsibility for any such failure"
This was voted down by both the Tories (who at least had an alternative motion) and by Labour (who clearly resented discussing this in public). Deputy Leader Peter Brooks clearly wasn't interested and his only contribution to the debate was a bogus point of order.
Councillor Paul Webbewood
Liberal Democrat
Middle Park & Sutcliffe ward
... which kinda proves the opposition parties are part of the problem an not the solution if they can't get their act together on this, eh?
Post a Comment