Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle littering in rural areas.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan set out how we will support councils across the country to take tougher action against those who litter. For example, last year we significantly raised the upper limit on fixed penalty notices from £150 to £500 and from 1 April 2024 councils will have to spend this income on enforcement or clean up activity. We have previously given district councils powers to hold the keeper of a vehicle responsible for littering offences committed from it.
Natural England refreshed the Countryside Code in 2021 which makes clear visitors’ responsibilities in protecting the environment when accessing the outdoors. This includes the need to take rubbish and food waste home, use public bins or recycle if possible.
National Highways’ recent campaign aimed to change road users’ behaviour towards littering. The campaign ran from 12 February to 10 March and road users were implored to stop littering as its deadly impact on wildlife was revealed.
Mar. 29 2024
Source Page: Approved Document B 2024 amendments: circular 01/2024Found: To: The Chief Executive Unitary, Metropolitan, District and London Borough Councils in England County
May. 18 2024
Source Page: £1m fund to help more councils combat fly-tippingFound: £1m fund to help more councils combat fly-tipping
Jan. 20 2010
Source Page: Measuring the workload: public sector performance reporting and inspection regimes in Leicestershire. Statement of findings. 9 p.Found: and borough councils) District Council · NHS Leicestershire and Rutland (PCT) · NHS Leicester City
Mentions:
1: Daisy Cooper (LD - St Albans) That led to a situation in St Albans where the constituents of a district were subsidising big developers - Speech Link
2: Daisy Cooper (LD - St Albans) Around 9,000 homes will need to be built on previously undeveloped green belt.The district council is - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Simon Hoare (Con - North Dorset) Members will recognise the critical role local councils play in providing essential statutory services - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Simon Hoare (Con - North Dorset) simply applied without modification, there would be no duty on a combined county authority to enable a district - Speech Link
2: Simon Hoare (Con - North Dorset) I served—I think he might have served as well—for 14 years as an elected district or county councillor - Speech Link
3: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (LAB - Brighton, Kemptown) We also put forward a Greater Brighton devolution plan that would have combined district authorities - Speech Link
4: Simon Hoare (Con - North Dorset) A lot of our councils are now multimillion-pound businesses. - Speech Link
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department last met with (a) Tamworth Borough Council, (b) Staffordshire County Council and (c) Lichfield District Council to discuss flood preparedness.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency works on plans for flood preparedness and resilience with all Category 1 and 2 responders as part of the Staffordshire Local Resilience Forum (LRF). The membership includes the Environment Agency, Staffordshire County Council, Tamworth Borough Council and Lichfield District Council.
The LRF has regular formal meetings at a Strategic and Tactical level, Staffordshire Civil Contingencies Unit (CCU) provide the Secretariat and coordination.
The dates for the most recent and next planned LRF meetings:
Strategic Group
Tactical Group
The Environment Agency also met with Staffordshire CCU Emergency Planners to influence tactical flood plan guidance for all Districts and Boroughs on 15 November 2023.
During flood incidents all LRF members are invited to attend Flood Advisory Service calls arranged by the Environment Agency to be informed of likely flood impacts. A Flood Advisory Service call was held for Staffordshire LRF members on 02 Jan 2024.
The Environment Agency in its strategic overview role for flood risk, meets with Staffordshire County Council formally at least monthly, as Lead Local Flood Authority for the county, representing Boroughs and Districts. There was a meeting between the Environment Agency and Staffordshire County Council on 19 January 2024.
In addition to its work via Staffordshire County Council, the Environment Agency meets directly with Borough and District Councils as required.
There was a meeting with Tamworth Borough Council in July 2023 to discuss progressing a potential flood risk management scheme in the area.
Mentions:
1: Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con - Excepted Hereditary) our £1.2 billion investment in the local authority housing fund provides capital funding directly to councils - Speech Link
2: Baroness Thornhill (LD - Life peer) Stark evidence from the Local Government Association, London Councils and the District Councils’ Network - Speech Link
3: Baroness Sherlock (Lab - Life peer) A number of issues come into play here, but, basically, councils are probably going to spend heading - Speech Link