'Clean Up Neighbourhood' Powers Welcomed

Shortly after the NI Environment Minister Edwin Poots welcomed new stronger laws "aimed at making Northern Ireland a cleaner and tidier place", his view was supported by another, locally-based politician.

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill completed its Final Stage in the Assembly on Monday and the DUP Minister Poots said the new legislation would tackle a range of environmental problems which can make the lives of local residents a misery.

Newtownabbey Alliance Councillor Tom Campbell (pictured) welcomed the fact that new laws are due to be enacted.

Cllr Campbell said: "These new powers are to be broadly welcomed as they give local councils more power to deal with anti social activity and to take meaningful steps to help in the protection of the environment to help improve the quality of life for those whom they represent.

"There has often been frustration at local government level at the difficulty of enforcement that is often prevalent when council officers are seeking to prevent people damaging the environment.

"These new provisions are to be welcomed as they introduce higher fixed penalties for certain offences and make the failure to provide names and addresses of potential offenders liable to a fine.

"Among the new provisions are measures to enable councils to serve a litter clearing notice where it is felt that litter is damaging the amenity of an area. In relation to dog fouling there are helpful measures, which go some way to meet the criticism by local councillors of the previous ineffective system.

"I note that the standard maximum fine is to be increased but that the Council can fix its own maximum level of fine in cases where there has been dog fouling," he said.

"I have no doubt that Newtownabbey will wish to see that the level of fine is appropriate to send a deterrent message to those who ignore their responsibilities to society.

"The frustration for so long about dog fouling is that it really does destroy the amenity, particularly of a residential area, but that the level of fine allowed was so modest that it presented no deterrent to irresponsible dog owners.

Cllr Campbell concluded: "I hope that local councils will be able to more effectively tackle a range of problems that lead to a reduced quality of life for our communities, whether it be from litter, dogs, graffiti, noise and general nuisance.

"I note that there are much stronger powers available for councils to enter premises where a burglar alarm has been sounding for over 20 minutes," he said.

(BMcC/KMcA)