LESS TIPPING? NOT A CHANCE
DURING the lockdown a member of Rossendale Council was reported in the Free Press as saying there had not been an increase in fly tipping across the borough (‘No huge rise in dumped waste’, June 5).
All I can say to that is that he is either walking around with his eyes closed or is in a parallel universe from the rest of us.
Friday is our regular ‘bin day’ in Haslingden and I took these photographs last Friday (7/8/20) AFTER the bin men had done their collections in the Manchester Road area.
Some of these loose bags of waste have been there for weeks and stink, a settee base, perched on the back wall has been there since before the lockdown. Very obviously, the bins that should have been emptied have been ignored.
Some time ago I was told by the Street Cleansing office that there is a system in place for the bin men, when out on their rounds, to note and report areas of fly-tipping and dumped waste.
Clearly this has fallen by the wayside, as has the practice of the non-driving bin men going on foot and collecting litter from the street whilst the lorry goes to the tip and discharges.
This latter project did not work too well as it did not seem to be supervised and the men spent most of their time leaning on their brushes, waiting for the lorry to return.
[There are] regular spots for fly-tipping but there seems to be no enforcement action by RBC, certainly nothing reported in the RFP, and whilst RBC are not responsible for dumping this waste they are responsible for removing it and enforcing the law. They fail completely on both counts.
I write this on Monday 10/8/20 having checked to see if there has been any improvement, which there has not.
Several years ago I did advise RBC of a security company who would enforce the Litter Act on their behalf, at no cost (they get paid a share of the fines they generate), and who had worked successfully with the city councils at Liverpool and Wolverhampton. I was told RBC would look into this but have not heard or seen anything further.
Disappointed.
Name and address supplied, Haslingden
NEED TO FIGHT FOR SERVICES
THE fact that Rossendale had exemplary figures regarding coronavirus did not prevent it escaping lock down along with Greater Manchester and East Lancashire.
Whilst reading The Scribbler in the Free Press (August 7) I was struck by the complaint that the area was in lock down “due to high commuting patterns between Rossendale and the affected areas”.
The Scribbler continues by saying on the other hand commuter numbers are “not enough to justify having a direct railway service between Rossendale and Manchester”.
This last point was put in slightly different terms in the latest issue of the East Lancashire Railway Review, where it was pointed out that a Rossendale based group wanting commuter trains “can be regarded as an irritant”. The article continues they are “wasting their time” as the strategy document, “Transport For Greater Manchester 2040” states, “there is no business case for such an operation and in no way will TFGM bring forward any proposals for any such route”. So I think that can be taken as a no!
Earlier this year when the X41 bus service was under threat I contacted LCC. I may be wrong, but the impression I gained was that there was little support forthcoming from County Hall to fight for that service.
If neither GMC nor LCC are supportive to issues such as transport I can only conclude that Rossendale is an isolated area left out in the cold in a very harsh economic climate.
Despite the apparent vow of silence from County Hall, maybe now really is the time for Rossendale to join with its nearest neighbours as envisaged in the new plan for Lancashire. It is certainly time for Rossendale to come in from the cold and cease being isolated.
David Mathias Helmshore Road Haslingden
NO LOCKDOWN EXPLANATION
AN open letter to Rossendale’s MP: Dear Mr Berry, We have heard your presentations of government policy around the lockdown of Rossendale and you did not clarify anything at all. In fact you raised more questions than you failed to answer.
We all await your properly comprehensive, fact supported explanation as to why Rossendale is in lockdown.
Perhaps you could also now explain if we are at risk of infection from those areas around us, what about the areas to the north, south, east and west of the list of lockdown areas?
You said the virus does not recognise borough boundaries. Correct, nor to the areas in all directions from the exterior limits of the lockdown areas. Logic fail I think. We still await your explanations.
Ian Francis via Facebook
UNITY IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER
THE question is will a change be for the better? (‘Massive revamp of council areas on the cards’, July 31).
Money has been withheld from the local council’s budget, by the government, for the last ten years or so, and services have taken their toll with cut backs; and a reduced service on all communities. But a promise by the government will increase finance if the surrounding local authorities unite as one.
What does this really mean in the layman’s understanding of how, by being ‘united’ the service will be better. If we remember in 1974 reorganisation, the local boroughs were scrapped and replaced with one unit, and was called the Rossendale Council, early retirement and jobs lost, by reducing the numbers of staff, and providing one chief executive, and one mayor.
The proposals are exactly the same, but on a much larger scale. Now we are led to believe that if we unite then from a service and a financial proposition the public will see a change and are told we will be better off.
Remember we tried it once and can we say we were better off?
I agree that the local council always said that the work cannot be carried out, because of cutbacks from the government.
So one would assume that the reduction in manpower will gain that luxury in finance to appease the public in their needs?
This is a political endeavour to rob Peter to pay Paul, it is more about cutbacks and save on government spending, and this ‘united as one’ will not be in the public’s interest.
But it does seem that the venture has been put into motion, and will go ahead no matter what opposition is made.
Wilfred Nuttall via email