Lucy Allan has today met Rebecca Pow MP, Minister for the Environment, to raise the issue of waste fires in Ketley. Residents have had to deal with two serious fires in recent months and the resulting smoke, disruption and threat to health.
Lucy Allan MP is determined to ensure that the Council exercises its duty to look at solutions and options and have a plan. It is crucial that central Government is not routinely drawn into local environmental issues such as this - local authorities should not need to be micromanaged.
The Council could look at options such as compulsorily taking ownership of the affected site, or cleaning it up and selling the land to recoup the cost for the taxpayer.
Lucy is sure that Members of Parliament and the Government will support local authorities that creatively seek solutions to address environmental concerns.
In the meantime, it is vital that there are proper preventative measures in place, to detect and prevent fires and monitoring waste dumped on site.
