Rt. Hon Edward Argar MP. Member of Parliament for Charnwood

I recently had the privilege of being one of the judging panel for a local school art competition, in nearby Queniborough. The pictures all highlighted the diversity of our natural environment, and how precious that natural environment is. It is an issue that I have always taken a very close interest in, given my track record as Syston’s local MP in seeking to protect, and enhance where possible, our natural environment. 
One of the issues that has previously been raised with me as impacting negatively on our local natural environment is that of discarded litter. Like many local people, in the past I have on a number of occasions, found myself in a high-vis top, standing in a ditch, or on a roadside verge, at a litter pick collecting discarded beer cans, food wrappers and assorted other pieces of day-to-day rubbish that people had, without a second thought, discarded along the lanes and verges of roads in our area. While it is fantastic to see all our towns and villages, not just on one occasion each year, but throughout the year coming together to take pride in, and shared responsibility for, our communities, it is a shame that litter picks are still necessary at all. 
As I have written before, sadly, too many people, often just passing through in their car, who when they no longer need something or have a food wrapper, instead of doing what most of us would do and take it home to the bin, simply throw it out of the car window. Maybe another symptom of a ‘throw-away society’, or a lack of people taking responsibility for our environment and their own behaviour, but something that has to change. We need to work to instil that sense of personal responsibility and pride in our countryside and our villages and towns like Syston, not just in those who already live there and already care about them, but in everyone in this country who visits or passes through them. It is not someone else’s responsibility to pick it up, it is all of our responsibilities not to drop it in the first place. While catching offenders isn’t always easy, it is important that when people are caught, local Councils have the powers they need to issue tough fines for fly-tipping and littering.
Therefore I very much welcomed the Government’s recent announcement that the penalties local councils can apply for litter, graffiti, and fly-tipping, behaviour that spoils our streets and villages and harms nature, are all set to rise as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. The new upper limit to fines will deter people from harming our public spaces in the first place, and ensure that those who continue to offend face tougher consequences. Following the changes:
· The maximum amount those caught fly-tipping could be fined will increase from £400 to £1,000
· The maximum amount those who litter or graffiti could be fined will increase from £150 to £500
· The maximum amount those who breach their household waste duty of care could be fined will increase from £400 to £600.
It’s right that, as well as tackling the litter itself, we do more to tackle those who drop it, and their thoughtlessness, with tougher penalties. These higher fines are an important step by the Government in providing further protections for our natural environment and support for nature – I hope that they will give people pause for thought and will help change behaviour, as we all have a part to play in keeping our land green, pleasant and litter-free!
I also wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate the organisers of the recent Food Gusto event in Syston’s Central Park, which I very much enjoyed going along to. There were a fantastic range of food and drink stalls, including small, local businesses and I hope that they all did good trade, and that everyone who went along to visit the festival enjoyed it as much as I did. It was another example of the things Syston does so well, putting on great events that bring the community together, and I very much look forward to the Syston Summer Fayre in September. 
As always, if, as Syston’s local MP you feel I can be of assistance to you, please do email me at Edward.argar.mp@parliament.uk or write to me at Rt. Hon Edward Argar MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.