Lillian Jones

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn) on securing this important debate. Scotland is not immune to fly-tipping, which has a significant and often underestimated impact on our communities, affecting not only the physical environment but residents’ mental health and sense of wellbeing. In truth, it is a serious criminal act that damages our streets and neighbourhoods and places a growing demand on already overstretched local authority cleansing department budgets. There have been incidents where rogue traders have lured consumers with cheap cash-only rates to clear household waste, only to illegally dump it on our roadsides, countryside and lay-bys to avoid paying commercial fees. I have seen at first hand the impact of fly-tipping in my hometown and across my constituency: furniture, mattresses and even drug paraphernalia dumped on public footpaths and street corners and even at children’s play parks. Residents complain of waste piling up in the streets, bringing their area down. They cannot understand why the local authority fails to keep on top of this scourge on our communities. I know that local councils are trying, but they are dealing with the financial hand they have been dealt amid some of the severest cuts to local government since devolution. Budgets have been cut in real terms year after year, and as a result Scottish councils are merely managing decline across our communities, with enforcement staff being stretched ever thinner. Put plainly, cuts to councils are cuts to our communities. Accumulated waste can make a neighbourhood feel neglected and unsafe, contributing to stress, anxiety and a decline in community pride. When public spaces are repeatedly polluted, it can foster feelings of frustration and helplessness among residents, particularly if the issue is persistent and slow to be addressed. To take East Ayrshire council, the figures speak for themselves: between 2019-20 and 2021-22, the council recorded over 2,500 fly-tipping incidents, ranking 13th out of 32 Scottish councils. More recently, the 2024-25 data shows that over 4,500 incidents were reported in the authority, which demonstrates that there is a huge issue—and it is getting worse. It does not help when access to the local tip is by appointment only. That is a cost-cutting measure, but when legal disposal becomes harder, the risk is that illegal disposal increases. Due to very low prosecution and penalty rates, 50% of Scottish local authorities believe that enforcement is not effective, and there is no consistency across agencies. In Scotland since 2019, over 280,000 incidents have been reported, with only 3,300 fines issued. That means that only a tiny proportion of offenders face any consequences, proving that the system lacks credible deterrence. That needs to change. I want to put on record my thanks to all the volunteer litter pickers, who play a vital and uplifting role in strengthening our communities, bringing people together through a shared purpose and pride in their surroundings. Their efforts not only improve the physical appearance of local areas but send a powerful message that people care, inspiring others to take responsibility and to respect public spaces. Such efforts are commendable, but they should not be necessary. There is no excuse for fly-tipping.