Litter fines punish town, MP claims
LITTERING fines generated seven times as much money in Southport as in Bootle, new figures have revealed.
The data, obtained by the Visiter via a Freedom of Information request, reveals a huge difference in the money generated through fines given out in Southport and the rest of the borough.
Over a three-year-period between April 2014 and March 2017, more than £100,000 was generated through fines given out in Southport alone – out of a total of less than £135,000 across the borough.
By comparison, the next highest total was £14,204 in Bootle over the same period, followed by £3,505 in Waterloo, £3,225 in Formby and £2,850 in Crosby.
In that same time, penalty notices were issued for littering in Southport 2,372 times, 342 in Bootle, and fewer than 100 in each of the other areas.
The Southport figures do not include areas in Birkdale or Ainsdale, which are listed seperately in the data.
Damien Moore, MP for Southport, accused the council of punishing those in the town while going easy on other areas in the borough.
The Conservative MP even argued that the council was punishing those in nonLabour voting areas.
But a council spokesman said that more fines were given out in Southport town centre because it was much busier than other areas.
Mr Moore said: “Once again, it appears that Southport is being seen by Sefton as the first in the queue for raising revenue, and last in the queue when it comes to spending money.”
“These figures are staggering and shows the true nature of the Labour-led council towards the town and its residents.”
“Whilst I support the use of penalty notices for those who litter in our town, the disproportionate number of penalties given out in Southport in comparison to Bootle and Formby further demonstrates Labours intent of punishing residents and visitors, whilst giving those who live in Labour areas an easy ride.
“I will be writing to the leader of Sefton Council to ask why the difference between Bootle and Southport’s penalty notices issued is so great, and to ask whether revenue raised via penalty notices in South- port will be reinvested in the town’s litter and hygiene services.”
A council spokesman said: “Sadly, littering goes on throughout the borough and we are determined to tackle this kind of anti-social behaviour across all of Sefton.
“The fines are in place to stop people flouting the rules and to make sure we keep the whole of our beautiful borough as clean as possible.
“Southport town centre experiences extremely high levels of footfall, and as a result, can be a hotspot for irresponsible litter louts.
“It is quite simple – dropping any form of litter is not acceptable behaviour and needs to stop, no matter where you are in Sefton.
“Residents and visitors to the borough need to understand that they are responsible for correctly disposing of their own waste.
“Any money received from fixed penalty notices contribute to the cost of the existing enforcement service which operates across the whole borough.”