Oldham Council’s “Love Where You Live” scheme took an entire year, failed in two of the five streets where it was trialled and cost £27,260 for environmental charity services

“Fly-tipping? Not up our alley!” This is the latest half truth headline for an Oldham Council press piece which this time is about the reoccurring theme of fly-tipping. Oldham Council paid out £27,260 just to one environmental charity to instigate this social experiment scheme that cleaned up just three streets. “Oldham residents who are fed up of fly-tipping are taking an innovative approach to tackling the issue in their community as part of an initiative called Love Where You Live.” The Council as always insinuates that this is a public driven initiative that has been a complete success the reality is somewhat different. Thankfully Hubbub the main environmental charity involved published a more honest appraisal of the initiative albeit from a politically correct viewpoint. Let us make it clear that we absolutely go not agree with the idea that community tensions and trust issues have any bearing on domestic fly-tipping. Here’s what’s completely missing from the Oldham Council press release, the initiative took an entire year and only targeted 5 streets of which 2 completely failed. Hubbub also made the following observations that are totally excluded from the Oldham Council press release “Initial research with residents highlighted that most felt fly-tipping was caused by people living in the area.” “Embedded existing cultural groups were wary of new arrival communities who were often transient and housed by private landlords” “In the two unsuccessful areas there was a notable difference in the levels of trust between neighbours. This was often the result of different cultural backgrounds and a high level of transience” “The process we have followed is slow, expensive and intensive. It requires the on-going commitment of all partners – but most of all the residents themselves. Fly-tipping is often a signal of disconnected communities and can only be addressed if trust and interaction between residents is built. This is not a quick-fix approach and cannot be paid for by savings made on reduced fly-tipping costs.” In 2014 then Council leader Jim McMahon hired Manchester University to teach Roma migrants about what is socially acceptable in the UK after an increase in fly-tipping and criminality in Oldham. That scheme was unsuccessful as the council continues to struggle to find a solution after four years of the highest unskilled immigration rates on record. You can read the full honest but socially inaccurate Hubbub blog Here In all honesty this is not an issue arising from community tensions this is a direct result of record mass unskilled immigration and a culture that excuses everything and anything under the banner of deprivation.