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Bring back our skips
• SINCE the three of us were selected as Labour candidates for St George’s ward, the issue of inappropriate waste disposal has been raised time and time again by residents, who regularly talk about the build-up of household and construction rubbish attracting flies, mice and rats to the area.
Fly-tipping is an ugly trend, but one for which our residents can hardly be blamed. In 2005, the Liberal Democrat council discontinued the provision of skips for our community in an attempt to try to cut costs. It was the first time Islington had been without publicly-provided skips since Labour introduced them in the 1970s.
The figures show quite how valuable our skips were. In 2005-06 there were fewer than 40 “big and nasty” incidents of fly-tipping recorded in Islington (where “big” is lorry-load size or larger and “nasty” is dumped waste involving oil or chemical waste). In the last two years that figure has doubled to nearly 80 – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Without the means to dispose of waste at one of 100 council-provided skips every month – as was the rule under the Labour council – how are residents supposed to dispose of their large waste without incurring a heavy hit to their pockets? If Labour wins the council in the election next May, we have pledged to bring back the skips for all residents.
Alex Smith, Gary Heather and Jessica Asato
Labour council candidates for St George’s ward
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