Maidstone's rubbish solutions

Kent Messenger 21.12.17

When I saw the news that Maidstone Council has increased litter fines by 50% I decided to write a letter to the paper and they printed it:

'Maidstone Council's reputation on litter enforcement is rubbish, you would of thought the Conservative & Liberal Democrat Councillors on the relevant committee would want to improve it but instead they have thrown an out of date solution at the age old issue of litter bugs. Increasing the fine for littering punishes people with the least money most and the most money least. In keeping with the politics of the two main political groups on Maidstone Borough council it is a regressive solution. 

While I agree that littering is a problem that needs to be dealt with I think it should be done differently. As anyone who has ever volunteered at a litter pick would know it changes how you think about litter. Which is why an enforcement solution that includes a much smaller or no fine for those who attend a litter picking session should be looked at as a modern solution for littering. Labour councils in other parts of the UK run such schemes successfully.

Tim Licence

Prospective Labour MBC High Street Ward Candidate' 

www.maidstone-labour.com