The Conservatives have unveiled plans to dock points from fly-tippers’ driving licences and evict disruptive tenants from social housing.
Repeat fly-tippers currently face up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine, but new plans could also see low-level offenders face driving penalties.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his is the only party with “a clear plan to ensure safety, security and prosperity in your local community”.
Currently only 20% of fly-tipping investigations end in fines. The Lib Dems accused the Tories of “legalising littering”.
And Labour accused the conservatives of “empty words”, pointing to the government’s own fly-tipping statistics, which showed there had been more than a million fly-tipping incidents “on the Conservatives’ watch” in the last year.
Currently councils can fine fly-tippers up to £1,000, while courts can impose unlimited fines and up to five years in prison for large scale fly-tipping.
Latest figures show 110 people received a fine over £1,000 in 2022-23, while more than 50% of the fines were between £200 to £500.
Mr Sunak has also promised a new law to evict repeat offenders from social housing after three verified instances of anti-social behaviour – including such as noise disturbances, vandalism, and other forms of harassment.
Mr Sunak said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe in their neighbourhood and a sense of pride in the place they call home.
“The Conservatives are the only ones with a clear plan to ensure safety, security and prosperity in your local community and your high street.
“We will take the bold action needed to crack down on fly-tipping, evict nuisance tenants and stop anti-social behaviour in its tracks so we can build a secure future for everyone across the whole country.”
Under tougher social housing rules, local authorities and housing associations will be expected to evict tenants.
During his 19-months as prime minister, Mr Sunak has banned nitrous oxide and introduced rules requiring vandals repair public spaces within 48 hours of receiving an order.
The new hot spot policing program, which saw an increased presence of police and other uniformed presence in 10 areas, led to nearly 800 arrests and 2,000 stop and searches.
But last year a critical report into the Metropolitan Police by Baroness Casey, cited austerity as a factor behind the erosion of the London force’s front-line policing.
Liberal Democrat local government spokesperson Helen Morgan said: “Under their government, fines for littering and fly-tipping are so low that people are being let off scot-free up and down the country.
“The fact that fly-tipping is going unpunished is simply appalling.
“The Conservatives have had years to get tough on fly-tippers and litterers but have failed at every turn.”
Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper dismissed the plans, saying: “This is more empty words from a chaotic Tory Party who have let antisocial behaviour run rampant and let criminals, vandals and fly-tippers get away with it.
“There were more than a million fly-tipping incidents on the Conservatives’ watch in the last year, yet the Tories repeatedly failed to implement their own policies and promises.”
Ms Cooper said a Labour government would put 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the beat, crack down on “those who cause havoc on our high streets”, and “reverse the collapse in the number of crimes being solved”.
