As far as enforcement is concerned the cupboard was bare down at the Council House in Walsall when the new Lib Dem/Labour Administration took control from the Tories following the May Local Elections.

So when the new leadership set about trying to deliver on their aim to clean up the streets and make our roads safer the first thing that had to be done was to begin to beef up on enforcement action. That meant finding ways of replacing or reallocating those lost in the Tories slash and burn plan to reduce staffing levels no matter what the effect was on front line services. Not an easy task when taken in the context of continuing austerity measures by the Tories at Westminster.

A number of solutions are being looked at. There is a great deal of frustration amongst those whose job it is to clean up after people who have no respect for their local environment, treating public space as their own personal dustbin. In a lot of cases those who litter and fly tip leave behind evidence as to who they are. One suggested course of action being considered at the moment is to empower as many front line Clean and Green staff as possible so that on the spot action can be taken.

In the battle to clean up unsightly land and property a small team of staff has been brought together to tackle the mountain of work left by the outgoing Tories who incidentally are calling for urgent action to tackle the problem. Bit late for that now isn’t it? They created the problem and did nothing to prevent it whilst they were in power, hypocrites! Is it any wonder people feel the way they do about politicians when they get up to tricks as low as this?

On the safer streets programme many of you have complained about those who treat our roads as racetracks. A few years ago, as part of a cost cutting exercise, the Tories agreed to switch off all the speed cameras. Since then average speeds have crept up to well above the speed limits making our streets unsafe and dangerous.

Increasingly Police are cutting back on their mobile speed enforcement due to the cost. Their budgets have been decimated by the Tories at Westminster as well. Things have got so bad that something needs to be done before anarchy sets in . Liberal Democrats in the new Coalition at Walsall have begun discussions with Labour colleagues in the administration to consider reactivating the speed cameras.

Cllr Ian Shires said “It’s not just during the day that this problem exists. Late into the night certain roads are used as virtual race tracks. The sound of modified exhausts regularly shatters the quiet in the early hours of the morning. You can’t have Police dotted around on the off chance of catching someone speeding. It’s a luxury we can’t afford. What we can do is do what other authorities are doing; switch on the cameras.”

According to the Express and Star the Tories in Walsall are opposed to the idea. The Leader of Walsall’s Tories on the council thinks speed cameras are nothing more than cash cows. Excuse us but wouldn’t it be that only those who insisted on breaking the law would be topping up the council’s coffers? Stick to the speed limits and it won’t cost you a penny and as an added bonus it does save a fair bit on fuel costs as well as making our streets calmer.