Despite the Council’s ‘Don’t Trash Oldham’ call to residents, Liberal Democrats are dismayed to learn that the Labour Administration still chooses not to use its full legal powers to aid the prosecution of the selfish fly-tippers who do.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written twice to the new Chief Executive Harry Catherall seeking reassurances that Council staff are using the special investigatory powers granted them under RIPA (the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000).  This gives Councils’ powers to conduct covert surveillance to aid in the detection of certain offences and the prosecution of offenders.

“Oldham’s Labour Council chooses not to use these powers against fly-tippers despite the law allowing them to do so,” said Councillor Sykes.  “This seems short-sighted at a time when a further £1.27 million of Council Taxpayers’ money has been committed to a boroughwide community clear up.” 

“Fly-tipping blights our neighbourhoods and is a massive bugbear impacting on the lives of many of our constituents.  We should be using every legal power in our arsenal to bring the irresponsible and selfish people who engage in it to book.  It is time for fly-tippers to face the RIPA.”