COUNCIL FLY-TIPPING CLAMPDOWN PROSECUTES SIX IN ONE DAY – dozens more cases awaiting court dates / “MOST SIGNIFICANT REFORM IN SOCIAL CARE FOR 60 YEARS” COMES INTO FORCE IN APRIL / CLAMPDOWN ON ‘BAD LANDLORDS’ PLAN SET FOR APPROVAL / BORIS SLAMMED ON WATER CANNON PLANS
COUNCIL FLY-TIPPING CLAMPDOWN PROSECUTES SIX IN ONE DAY – dozens more cases awaiting court dates
Six fly-tippers have been ordered to pay a total of more than £2,150 after being prosecuted under Croydon council’s ongoing campaign to clean up the borough.
On Tuesday (10 March) Croydon council prosecutors asked magistrates to impose fines and costs against the offenders for dumping waste.
The crackdown on fly-tipping is part of the council’s Don’t Mess With Croydon – Take Pride campaign, which is aimed at combining the help of volunteers with council action to encourage recycling and lead enforcement against the worst offences.
The venues fly-tipped and fines imposed were as follows:
Bygrove, New Addington £100 fine, £150 costs, £20 surcharge;
Elmside, New Addington £35 fine, £50 costs, £20 surcharge;
Central Parade, New Addington on two separate occasions (14/10/2014 & 14/12/2014) two separate fines of £200 and £300; £150 costs, £30 surcharge.
Woodside Green, South Norwood £200 fine, £150 costs, £20 surcharge;
Portland Road, South Norwood £200 fine, £150 costs, £20 surcharge;
Frimley Close, New Addington £200 fine, £150 costs, £20 surcharge.
A Croydon council spokesman said the campaign’s most recent previous court case in February also ended in a successful council prosecution against a man who fly-tipped in Broad Green.
Since launching the initiative last June, the council says it has:
cleared 88 per cent of reported fly-tipped waste within 48 hours:
signed almost 200 volunteer community champions who lead litter picks;
issued almost 500 fixed penalty notices of up to £80;
carried out more than 570 business licence inspections;
seen more than 4,000 people report fly-tipping issues
Croydon’s cabinet member for Clean and Green Croydon Cllr Stuart Collins said: “This council is tackling environmental crime head-on, from spitting in the street to people dumping tonnes of waste.
“Part of our campaign is about making fly-tippers think twice about blighting Croydon’s streets – and if they didn’t before, they should now.
“These fly-tippers aren’t the first we’ve prosecuted in this campaign, and they won’t be the last; we have dozens more cases awaiting court dates.”
For more information on how to get involved in the Don’t Mess With Croydon – Take Pride campaign, visit: https://www.croydon.gov.uk/environment/dontmess/dont-mess
You can also report dumped waste via the council’s dedicated fly-tipping hotline on 0208 604 7000, the council’s My Croydon smartphone app or by emailing [email protected]
(Source: Croydon council press release.)
“MOST SIGNIFICANT REFORM IN SOCIAL CARE FOR 60 YEARS” COMES INTO FORCE IN APRIL
Described as “the most significant reform in social care for more than 60 years” Croydon council are urging people who give and receive care to find out how new changes which come into force on April 1st will affect them.
At their meeting on Monday Croydon council’s cabinet are expected, to agree a market position statement, a document outlining expectations of service providers in tackling inequalities across a range of issues – including health, workforce development, the equal distribution of service across the borough, and ensuring the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.
The main beneficiaries of the new Care Act are those who receive care and support, and the carers who provide that assistance, said a council statement.
“The following are among a number of new duties being introduced:
“Carers will have new rights to assessment and, potentially, to council support. “The change allows carers to get the support they need for themselves.
“This could be practical support – such as being able to take a break from caring responsibilities, assistance from the Carers Centre or Crossroads within the borough, or potentially being entitled to a direct payment to spend on things that will make it easier to carry on caring.
“The changes will introduce a new national eligibility threshold, providing peace of mind that, wherever you live in the country – or plan to move to within England – if your needs meet the threshold, you will be eligible for support.
“This support is means assessed, so, for self-funders, the council would be expecting to provide helpful advice and support.
“Changes in respect of providing care accounts (the method of monitoring how much you have spent on eligible social care) are expected to be introduced from April 2016. “The council will be communicating closer to the time to ensure it is ready for these changes.
“As is already the case in Croydon, deferred payment agreements will become available across the country, meaning that people should not have to sell their home in their lifetime to fund their residential care costs.
“Any decisions about care and support will take into consideration people’s mental, physical and emotional well-being, with a focus on supporting people to stay healthy and remain independent for longer.”
Croydon’s cabinet member for people and communities Cllr Louisa Woodley said: “We’re confident that the changes we’re making will enable more people to get the help they need, whether that’s a carer who needs a break from caring, or somebody who may be able to move to a care home without having to undergo the stress of selling their home.”
To find out about local care and support, please visit www.croydon.gov.uk/careact
An explanatory leaflet is available in accessible formats by emailing [email protected]
(Source: Croydon council press release.)
‘CLAMPDOWN ON BAD LANDLORDS’ PLAN SET FOR APPROVAL
Bad private landlords face a clampdown if plans to license them are approved by Croydon council’s cabinet next week.
“Private renting has increased significantly in Croydon recently, with negative consequences including antisocial behaviour and poor-quality homes” says a Croydon council statement..
“The council’s proposed landlord licensing scheme would protect tenants by ensuring the borough’s 30,000 private rented properties are safe, good quality and well-run.
“The licence would also force landlords to use existing powers and take action against bad tenants. “Landlords breaking their licence would face fines or prosecution.”
The council says that following months of public consultation on the plans, around 70 per cent of private tenants and local residents who responded said they supported a borough-wide landlord licensing scheme.
But most landlords and letting agents who replied were NOT in favour.
Feedback to the consultation prompted Croydon to cut the proposed landlord licence fee to as little as £350 over five years, or 19p a day.
If the plans are approved at next Monday’s cabinet meeting, then from this summer landlords will have to apply for a licence. The council will then check if they are fit and proper, meet a series of health and safety checks and have no criminal convictions.
Landlords renting out a property without a licence would face fines of up to £20,000, while anyone breaking licence conditions could be prosecuted and fined up to £5,000.
Croydon’s cabinet member for homes and regeneration Cllr Alison Butler said: “This licensing scheme is about making Croydon a better place to rent, and I know many residents support our proposals because badly-kept properties blight our streets.
“Anti-social behaviour is everyone’s problem – but too often we find a minority of private landlords whose failure to act damages communities.
“This licence will give peace of mind to responsible tenants and landlords looking to thrive in Croydon – it’s the dodgy landlords who should be worried.”
Croydon’s consultation was originally launched with the borough’s landlords in September and widened to the general public from 17 November to 12 December.
The council then decided to consult for 10 weeks more after the High Court ruled that Enfield Council should have consulted more widely on similar licensing plans.
Croydon’s selective licensing scheme would force landlords to use their powers under the Housing Act 1996 to keep their properties to a decent standard and tackle antisocial behaviour by their tenants. (Source: Croydon council press release.)
BORIS SLAMMED ON WATER CANNON PLANS
Commenting on reports that the Home Secretary has refused to give the go-ahead for the use of water cannon in London before the election, Labour London Assembly crime spokeswoman Joanne McCartney AM said: “The Home Secretary’s refusal to approve water cannon for use on London’s streets should be a clear signal to Boris Johnson that he is the only one who thinks this ill-judged proposal is a good idea.
“Water cannon are not only extremely dangerous, they are bluntly indiscriminate tools which should have no place in our capital city.
“It’s time for the Mayor to accept he was wrong and to sell the water cannon he has already bought so we can reinvest the money in things the Metropolitan Police actually need.
“If he refuses, the public will undoubtedly conclude that he is more interested in continuing his militant posturing than doing what is best for the capital.”
“The London Assembly have spoken with a clear and cross-party voice on this subject – we do not want water cannon in London. I am glad the Home Secretary agrees with us.”
Joanne McCartney is the Labour London Assembly member for Enfield and Haringey. (Source: GLA Labour party press release).
