Don't leaf it to a stranger! Residents reminded of rubbish Responsibilities

SEFTON Council is once again reminding residents of their rubbish responsibilities or risk prosecution after tonnes of household garden waste were fly tipped in Southport. Officers discovered the waste, which includes heavy tree stumps and garden cuttings, on the former Kew Park and Ride site, following the removal of a travelling community from the land. It's understood members of the community had approached residents on their doorstep offering cut price garden maintenance, before illegally dumping the waste on the Council's land, potentially leading to unwitting residents being heavily fined or even prosecuted. While many residents hire 3rd parties to take away household waste and large bulky items from their properties, most do not know the rules and regulations that cover these types of waste disposal. There are a number of things you should do to avoid unscrupulous individuals:-

► Ensure that the individual or firm is registered with the Environment Agency as an official waste carrier.

► Avoid accepting random doorstep collections from individuals or firms.

► Keep the name and address and vehicle details of the individual or firm who dispose of your waste.

► Ask for a proper invoice or receipt.

► Get more than one quote and expect to pay a reasonable fee.

If fly tipping waste is traced back to your property, you could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to ₤400 if you cannot properly identify who you used to get rid of your waste. More serious instances could resort in prosecution. There are many reputable firms who can disposed of your waste responsibly and the Council offer a collection service if people wish to dispose of bulky items, alternatively, items in good condition can be donated to local charities. You can find details on our website. Each year Sefton's cleansing teams have to remove thousands of tonnes of rubbish from alleyways across the borough, costing the Council more than ₤800,000 a year to dispose of properly, these funds could be used to support vital local services.

A spokesperson for Sefton Council said:- "People illegally dumping rubbish costs the Council hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to clean up and dispose of. No matter if its a small bin bag or a huge pile of garden waste, it's still fly tipping and you will be fined heavily for irresponsibly disposing of your rubbish. This includes hiring unlicensed 3rd parties, if you cannot identify who you have hired, you may well be liable for a fine or face prosecution. Make sure you check who you are hiring to dispose of your waste. Please dispose of your waste in the proper fashion and make Sefton a cleaner and greener place to live, work and visit."

If any residents have any concerns regarding fly tipping or wish to report an offence, they should contact us on:- 03451400845 or report it via our website:- Sefton.Gov.UK.

It will cost the Council at least ₤2,400 to remove the dumped garden waste from Kew Park and Ride.

Residents can also check the legitimacy of a licensed waste carrier by visiting:- Gov.UK or call the Environment Agency hotline:- 03708506506.

Global academic boycott of University of Liverpool begins today

THE University and College Union (UCU) on Friday, 9 July 2021, hit the University of Liverpool with the ultimate sanction of an international academic boycott over the University's refusal to halt the sacking of 21 health staff. The global boycott is the most recent escalation by the union in the long running dispute. It means UCU is asking its members, other trade unions, labour movement organisations and the international academic community to support its members at Liverpool in any way possible, including by:-

► Not applying for any advertised jobs at Liverpool.

► Not agreeing to speak at or organise academic or other conferences at Liverpool which are outside of contract.

► Not accepting new invitations to give lectures at Liverpool.

► Not accepting new positions as visiting professors or researchers at Liverpool.

► Not accepting invitations outside of contract to write for any academic journal which is edited at or produced by Liverpool.

► Not accepting new contracts as external examiners for taught courses at Liverpool.

► Refusing to collaborate on new outside of contract research projects with Liverpool.

Originally, at the height of the 2nd wave of the Covid Pandemic, the University tried to sack 47 staff in the faculty of health and life sciences. This has now fallen to 21 after a campaign of industrial action by staff. This week students slammed the University's management over the ongoing chaos caused by the compulsory redundancies, after an ongoing marking boycott led to around 1,500 students not receiving their degrees. The University is withholding 100% of pay from staff taking part in the lawful boycott, in a lockout intended to force staff to bring their campaign to an end. Tomorrow, (10 July) at 12.30pm staff and students will be demonstrating against the cuts. The Trades Union Congress has asked trade unionists from other sectors to join the demonstration. Around 1,300 UCU members, at the University, also went on strike for 3 consecutive weeks, from Monday, 24 May to Friday, 11 June 2021. External examiners, 62 staff in the faculty of health and life sciences, international experts on the use of responsible research metrics and the Liverpool Guild of Students, which speaks for the student body, have all written to the University to warn that the University's actions are likely to imperil academic standards and have called on management to end the dispute. The University has refused to meet with UCU to resolve the dispute, or to allow ACAS to mediate between UCU and management.

UCU General Secretary Jo Grady said:- "Staff and students are united in opposing the University of Liverpool's disgraceful cuts. UCU will not stand by whilst management threaten the academic integrity of the institution and withhold pay from staff fighting to defend their colleagues' jobs and students' education. It is very simple for University managers to end this dispute, they need to meet with us and work with us to save jobs and protect academic standards. We are calling on academics throughout the world to join us in boycotting the University until management come to the negotiating table."

University of Liverpool UCU President Anthony O'Hanlon said:- "The senior leadership team at the University of Liverpool has already faced widespread condemnation from the international academic community. They have failed to heed those warnings and now face a major escalation of this dispute and damage to the University's international reputation. Senior leadership must realise they are not immune from criticism and they cannot treat their staff in such a despicable way, without expecting to face serious consequences."

Don't leaf it to a stranger! Residents reminded of rubbish Responsibilities

Global academic boycott of University of Liverpool begins today

Total UK cases Covid19 cases in and around Liverpool City Region