Bridget Phillipson MP: Labour's vision for Sunderland is for a revitalised and safe city for everyone

Labour is taking significant steps to see the return of law and order to our streets and realise this vision.

When you report a crime, it should be properly investigated. Victims in our community must have faith that justice can be delivered, and criminals will be punished.

I regularly hear from residents in and around our city who are sick of our streets being plagued by discarded rubbish and waste and it is a disgrace that the former Tory government did nothing to tackle it.

For too long waste criminals and fly-tippers who blight our towns have got off scot-free. New analysis of official figures show that under the Conservatives, rates of fly-tipping in England increased by more than a third – over 3,000 incidents each day.

At the same time, action against criminals illegally disposing of waste dropped, with fixed penalty notices to penalise rubbish dumpers falling by 12,000 since 2019.

That ends now. This Labour Government is launching a crackdown on fly-tipping to clean up Britain’s streets.

Our new approach will see councils work with the police to identify, seize and crush vehicles of waste criminals. Drones and mobile CCTV cameras will be deployed to identify cars and vans belonging to fly-tippers so they can be destroyed.

Labour have launched a rapid review to slash red tape blocking councils from seizing and crushing vehicles. Councils currently bear the significant cost of seizing and storing vehicles but under new plans, fly-tippers will cover this cost, saving taxpayers money.

Any criminals caught transporting and dealing with waste illegally will now face up to five years in prison under Labour’s plans.

I want Sunderland to be a city we can be proud of, a great place to grow up and grow old. But the appalling Tory record meant our high streets, roads and countryside were blighted by heaps of rubbish, while criminals went unpunished. I know that fly-tipping is a major problem and was ignored for too long by a Conservative Party that just didn’t care. Our proud community deserves better.

That’s why I am backing our Plan for Change and supporting the Labour Government’s fly-tipping crackdown that will punish waste cowboys, tackle the scourge of waste crime, and ensure that those who disrespect our area face justice.