Councillors told 'team of one' is covering flytipping across 71,000-hectare district south-west of Banbury

Concerns have been raised about a council tasking a “team of one” with fly-tipping prevention work across its 71,494-hectare district.

West Oxfordshire District Council was informed at an overview and scrutiny committee meeting in December that there was “essentially a team of one undertaking fly-tipping enforcement work”.

Councillors also heard “it wasn’t possible to cover absences without diverting resources away from other important activities within environmental services”.

Decisions to employ a “team of one” come amid the council’s crackdown on anti-social behaviour and an increase in the fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping from £400 to £1,000.

West Oxfordshire District Council said there were more than 1,100 fly-tipping incidents in the district between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023.

The estimated cost of the clean-up was above £20,000 plus the waste tipping costs.

December’s report also noted a link between a tougher approach to charging at the household waste recycling centres and increased incidents of fly-tipping.

But evidence was cited that abolishing charges did not necessarily lead to a reduction in fly-tipping and it was noted that this was a matter for Oxfordshire County Council.

Cameras are being deployed in the district to monitor known hotspots for fly-tipping.

At the end of the meeting, the committee thanked the officers and agreed to receive another update in a year’s time.

West Oxfordshire District Council has been approached for further comment.