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The business of re-cycling or not by TDC has yet to be answered but Cabinet Member Cllr Shirley Tomlinson really does need to get to grips with The Dumpton area. It looks like a pig-sty and TDC clearly needs to do something about it rather than posturing about £165 fines given to those throwing away a 'fag-end'. Dumpton seems to have a far more serious problem than a butt or two!
I attach pics from the Chair of The West Dumpton Residents Association taken today in West Dumpton Lane, Ramsgate Road and Dumpton Lane.
Here is a copy of an e-mail sent to TDC by her:
Sent: Monday, 22 December, 2008 4:07:14 PM
Subject: Refuse Department for West Dumpton Area
Dear Sir or Madam
I am again appalled at the collection of rubbish all over our area of West Dumpton Lane also Ramsgate Road around the bus stop area just past the Nissan garage.
As this seems to be a constant ongoing battle between the residents of this area and the Council I am once again making a formal complaint as the situation has become disgusting.
I wonder if you can answer a simple question, why is it we never see this level of neglect by the Council in a Tory run area but is a constant battle in Labour run area's. We all pay the same Council tax but never seem to get the same attention particularly in our area.
No 1 I am attaching photos of the corner of Dumpton Lane an ongoing problem area, which is never cleared unless I make a complaint.
No 2 photos of the mess which has been accumulating over the past 6 months
from 61-69 West Dumpton Lane, have never seen this area clear in 4 years.
No 3 The bus stop on the Ramsgate Road just past the pelican crossing. This area has definitely not been cleared for the past 4 months.
Do you not have inspectors that travel over Thanet to check the cleanliness of our Island? or do you rely on the public to keep informing you.
As I keep reading in the Papers especially from Cllr Tomlinson that TDC are having a purge in Thanet to clean it up, well the purge has never reached this area, in fact I haven;t seen a road sweeper since last year, no one else has either.
I would like you to look carefully and give me an honest answer do you really think it is fair for one area to have to contend with so much filth in such a small area. This is not taking into consideration all the mess we get from Dumpton House this is also a constant battle from the residents to get it kept under control.
If this continues I shall have no alternative but to give this information to the press as we the residents are thoroughly fed up.
Yours sincerely
Carole Russell
Chair
WDRA
Dear Sir or Madam
I am again appalled at the collection of rubbish all over our area of West Dumpton Lane also Ramsgate Road around the bus stop area just past the Nissan garage.
As this seems to be a constant ongoing battle between the residents of this area and the Council I am once again making a formal complaint as the situation has become disgusting.
I wonder if you can answer a simple question, why is it we never see this level of neglect by the Council in a Tory run area but is a constant battle in Labour run area's. We all pay the same Council tax but never seem to get the same attention particularly in our area.
No 1 I am attaching photos of the corner of Dumpton Lane an ongoing problem area, which is never cleared unless I make a complaint.
No 2 photos of the mess which has been accumulating over the past 6 months
from 61-69 West Dumpton Lane, have never seen this area clear in 4 years.
No 3 The bus stop on the Ramsgate Road just past the pelican crossing. This area has definitely not been cleared for the past 4 months.
Do you not have inspectors that travel over Thanet to check the cleanliness of our Island? or do you rely on the public to keep informing you.
As I keep reading in the Papers especially from Cllr Tomlinson that TDC are having a purge in Thanet to clean it up, well the purge has never reached this area, in fact I haven;t seen a road sweeper since last year, no one else has either.
I would like you to look carefully and give me an honest answer do you really think it is fair for one area to have to contend with so much filth in such a small area. This is not taking into consideration all the mess we get from Dumpton House this is also a constant battle from the residents to get it kept under control.
If this continues I shall have no alternative but to give this information to the press as we the residents are thoroughly fed up.
Yours sincerely
Carole Russell
Chair
WDRA
I wonder if Carole Russel has heard about TDC's colour coding list for street cleaning routes that 'Our Shirl' has apparently refused to reveal?
Does it perhaps work like this?
'Blue' - Regularly Swept - TDC/KCC Tory Cllr lives in street.
'Red' - Occasionally swept - TDC/KCC Labour Cllr lives in street.
'Green' - never swept (Let the Environmentalists do it instead of TDC).
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9 comments:
Bertie, you could get pictures from anywhere in Thanet showing similar scenes. I walked from my home into Broadstairs today and the alleyways that provide a short cut are a disgrace and haven't been swept in months. You can tell that by the accumulated leaves turning more and more disgusting. The St. Peter's Rec. car park is full of dumped rubbish; the area by the library shows piles of left-over junk food dumped; the railway bridge area at St. Peter's is appalling and so on. I know there are a couple of roadsweepers but they can't deal with the mess that people leave behind. Yes, I know it's people so why does Cllr. Tomlinson gets so self-congratulatory over the seagulls not attacking black bin bags now we have wheelie bins? It's not the gulls that are the problem. It's Thanet's people who don't seem to care anymore and the council's almost non-existent road-sweeping merely adds to that feeling of 'If they don't care, why should we?'
Thanet is beautiful? What a joke.
I believe the two councillors for the ward are aware of the problem and have contacted TDC but, in common with many issues in the area, have great difficulty getting action from the council.
At least the area has councillors who do something as in my own ward our two Tory councillors are invisible and nothing gets done unless a resident contacts the council and persists in their complaint.
If you walk around Birchington you will see litter alongside most of the roads and paths,the footpaths always have dog droppings on them.
It's no good just putting up signs
without taking action against those that drop litter,do you notice most of it is drink and smoking related!
It shouldbe mandatory for dog owners/handlers/walkers to carry poopscoops and heavely fined if not used.
It seems the Conservative Councils spend more money on publicity then employing people to clean up the mess.
TDC have a duty under section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to keep land and highways clear of litter, but there is, unfortunately, a "wriggle out" phrase in that section that TDC may well exploit (see http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1990/ukpga_19900043_en_11#pt4-pb1-l1g89).
If there is a list of streets to be cleaned in preference to others maintained by TDC then that is a prime case for questions under the Freedom of Information Act. A refusal to answer such questions can only be justified in a small number of circumstances, and the refusal must be in writing and specify the reason.
All very well Bertie, but the Council are only responsible for picking it up, not dropping it.
The real villains are the thoughtless individuals and householders that do not do enough to contain their litter, and then blame the couincil for the mess.
I am sure we could have streets clean enough to eat our dinner off if we paid enough council tax, but seeing as mine is only around £190 a year for all TDC services, I don't see how they can provide enough people to provide a perfect service to all areas at all times.
But then I always see the cup half full, rather than half empty, as most people who frequent your blog seem to do.
This is not a recent problem just has got a lot worse this year, the worst areas seem to be the ones run by Labour Cllr's, for such unknown reason TDC seem to get alot of amusement ignoring areas which are run by their opposition, the onlt way to get anything done in these areas is to put it into the press, just to show how neglected certain areas are, TDC hang your head in shame and employ a Councillor who will do the job properly and effectively, Shirley Tomlinson has done nothing to improve the situation in Thanet just seems to get enjoyment smiling for the camera instaed of making improvements which are so deserately needed.
You are absolutely spot on cocerning the cause of the problem, 17.39; our fellow citizens.
However successful 'zero tolerance approaches' have all been based on removing the 'rubbish/graffiti etc' and then strict enforcement. Litter attracts litter; it's as simple as that and when one hears that a local resident's association has been ignored on this issue , it is a little worrying. Happy Christmas.
I live in an area with Tory councillors and our area is just as bad as any other but then I do have a couple of invisible councillors who are unknown to all. If something needs doing then I pick up the phone myself or even clear up other people's rubbish.
Zero tolerance would work if the streets were cleaned first then any new rubbish would be obvious and people might even take pride in their area. When stuff lies rotting for weeks or even months I feel less inclined to do anything about getting rid of someone else's revolting mess. This is how areas go downhill because it appears no-one cares. The same rubbish is lying by Broadstairs Library that was there at the beginning of the week.
21.23 Unfortunately Labour councillors do not 'run an area' as TDC/KCC is responsible for services.We're not talking Tammany Hall here. All Labour councillors can do is chivvy the relevant TDC department to get things done but I know from what councillors tell me that it seems they get ignored by the officers who appear to favour areas with Tory councillors. If true, whatever happened to democracy?
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