Biggleswade Town Council could step in to clear Bonds Lane fly-tipping if Central Beds fails to act
Biggleswade Town Council could step in to clear Bonds Lane fly-tipping if Central Beds fails to act.
If calls to Central Bedfordshire Council to take action fail, the town council may remove fly-tipped garbage from Bonds Lane in Biggleswade, according to a meeting.
Last month, town councillors were alerted that the rubbish heaped up alongside the street’s business premises had become rat infested. However, in response to local ward and town councillors’ concerns, CBC’s environmental services department appeared eager to clean the mess.
Central Bedfordshire Community Network Biggleswade West councillor Paul How asked at a CBC meeting last month, “When will there be enforcement action and what measures will be put in place to prevent the problem from recurring?”
Independent Biggleswade West councillor Steve Watkins responded that council officers are aware of the problem and will provide written responses to the queries.
At a BTC meeting, town clerk Peter Tarrant stated that CBC has yet to respond to their letter, and that they have the option to intercede, but it is not their legal job. If this does not happen again, it could be a one-time remedy. However, there is an expectation that CBC will do what it should, and we have attempted to remind the local government of its duty without success.
“It’s definitely getting worse.” Grant Fage, a Conservative Biggleswade East Central Bedfordshire ward councillor, stated: “My impression is that this will be resolved now.
“It’s been complicated because some of the waste is historic, going back several years and not associated with some of the businesses there.” Some may have been left by traders who have departed the region, while others may be credited to enterprises that remain.
It is with environmental services at Central Beds, and there is a plan to get this resolved. “One thing that concerns me is that the ‘fix my street’ entry, which is how you report fly-tipping, was posted in November and closed in February because it had become outdated and had not been investigated.”
“A CBC group leader is following up on why some of these ‘fix my street’ entries are being closed without being investigated.” Karim Hosseini, BTC’s head of governance and strategic partnership, informed the gathering that they had written to CBC’s environmental health department separately to follow up.
“It confirmed the department is aware there’s an issue,” he told me. “It is teaching businesses on the proper disposal of garbage.
When we enquired about the present clear-up, the response was that they are looking into it. We met with a Bedfordshire Police community support officer, who confirmed that there have been concerns in the past. She believes that something should be done about it.
Town councillor Duncan Strachan added, “It concerns me that CBC is not clearing this up, as it is a health hazard.” If it is part of the CBC’s legislative obligations, it should fulfil them.” Mayor Jonathan Woodhead proposed three options:
allowing CBC to fix the matter, asking Central Beds to quickly remove the debris, or “sorting it ourselves, with the associated costs”.
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