I recently went on a local walkaround in Norbury with the fantastic local community activists group called "Litter Free Norbury".
This group of very dedicated individuals passionately campaign for the Norbury high street and surrounding roads to receive the love and attention it so passionately deserves.
I was informed that this issue is longstanding, with efforts to raise awareness with the Cabinet Member Muhammed Ali being futile. Bins have long been removed from the local high street, with frustrated shop and restaurant owners explaining to me what this means to their business look and appeal to passing trade.
Local residents who live above the shops along London Road, currently do not have adequate waste collection service, and are therefore leaving rubbish bags along the high street, which is understandably causing the local community frustration, as this image does not give the best impression of Norbury.
I have taken up several issues following this meeting, which I have followed up with officers. I will of course, continue to work together with this community group and others across the borough, to help bring the much-needed Council intervention to help improve litter and fly-tipping issues, which is currently blighting our town!
Croydon Council needs to be more proactive when trying to tackle this issue, rather than the default reactive stance the Labour run council has taken since they took control of Croydon in 2014!
This community group raised their frustration to me, of how they were dictated too by the cabinet member and others from the Council, being told what the real issues are, and that they are in fact mistaken, and that there is no litter issue in Norbury and the surrounding areas.
I believe any local authority across the county needs to work constructively together with community groups like this, empowering them to get the changes which they see as necessary to improve issues such as littering and fly-tipping, utilise the vital and very important efforts given voluntary to the Council, rather than discouraging any efforts by insinuating they do not fully understand the issues.
Residents in Croydon, deserve better, and I will continue to do all I can to help.
Cllr Scott Roche
Shadow Cabinet Member for Sustainable Croydon.
