Councillors hit back at claims they are 'minimising' fly-tipping and litter issues in the city
The Portsmouth Liberal Democrats have disputed accusations of “minimising” the issue of street cleanliness.
As previously reported by The News, Labour group leader Councillor Charlotte Gerada recently criticised Liberal Democrat members for downplaying an issue she raised in a recent Portsmouth City Council meeting.
She argued that members of the council’s ruling party had minimised the issue of street cleanliness and fly-tipping, claiming they suggested she was “exaggerating how bad things are and that actually Portsmouth is pretty pristine”.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Peter Candlish, who was invited to the meeting, stated that everyone on the panel praised the council officers’ “constant effort” to maintain clean streets in the city.
“Therefore, the cross-party panel of councillors did not minimise the issue. Indeed, they all acknowledged that they had seen problems in their wards and knew specific streets and areas where problems occurred most often.
“The panel recognised that crowded urban areas like Portsmouth are, sadly, prone to street cleaning issues, and that some areas are more prone to rubbish on the street than others, especially after bin collection and before the street cleaner, who follows up within 24 hours, can arrive.”
Additionally, fellow Lib Dem Cllr Lee Hunt questioned the claims, stating he walked along a route in Southsea, which Cllr Gerada had complained about, and found it to be “spotless”.
“We are not daft. Everyone knows there are fly-tipping incidents and split black bags in the city. One resident I talked to on this route clears it up quickly.”
“It’s clear the matter is coming to be taken seriously but statements from elected representatives that paint a dystopian view of Portsmouth, including the words ‘horrific’, ‘horrendous’, and ‘very dirty’, undermine all the hard work of officers keeping the place clean.”
Cllr Suzy Horton, who represents the Central Southsea ward alongside Cllr Gerada, said: “I am sure that most residents don’t believe that the council is responsible for the behaviour of every resident in the city. However, they are responsible for policies and practices to ensure that we have clean and tidy streets and this is a strength in the city.
“It is this point that I think has been minimised in preference to pedalling a dystopian view of our streets.” To report instances of fly-tipping in the city fill in this form on the city council website or call 023 9282 2251.