Northampton residents have long been vocal when it comes to the state of the town, with many individuals expressing that they feel their local communities have endured a period of decline.
In response, a new community petition has been launched in order to improve safety and limit littering across the town.
Kingsley is not immune to public discontent, with the petition suggesting that Kettering Road, which runs through Kingsley, is one of the worst hit by fly-tipping and littering in the town, and has suggested as a result local shops are facing a lack of footfall.
This comes as The Kingsley Courier reported on Kingsley's Great British Spring Clean effort in March this year, where numerous bags of litter were collected in just under two hours by local volunteers.
Lynette Marsden, the woman behind the petition and open letter to West Northamptonshire council (WNC), told The Kingsley Courier the reason behind why she started the campaign:
“There's constant rubbish and fly-tipping. I have been trying to highlight these issues and many more for years, and I am a regular attendee of the local residents meetings with council members.
"I am one of the leading members of the HMO action group and a regular reporter to the police and PCSO’s. I have given all sorts of information and I see no change.
“The council voted down a motion to tackle fly-tipping and rubbish in September, saying the issue is in hand. Many crimes go unreported as does fly-tipping as people see nothing being done.
“On so many [online] residents pages most of the talk is around negative issues, but none of the authorities seem to want to listen to us.
“The local councillors do their best but because they're apart of the opposition party, we don’t seem to get anywhere. Our council seem far more interested in self-promoting schemes that don’t actually offer the residents what they want, which is a clean and safe place to live and work.
“I am merely a resident who is at breaking point because of the conditions we’ve allowed the town to sink to, and through constantly reading other peoples comments I know I’m not the only one and that’s why I put the petition out."
WNC launched a fly-tipping charter last December which set out how it would tackle environmental crimes, just one of the issues the community campaign wishes to be resolved.
Councillor David Smith, Cabinet member for regulatory services, community safety and engagement, said in a statement: "Fly-tipping and other environmental crimes are absolutely unacceptable and impact every one of us in our communities.
"They spoil our streets, parks and open spaces, create an environmental hazard, and the clean-up costs and work involved to remove waste places a significant financial burden both on our council and on private landowners.
"We are absolutely committed to tackling fly-tipping across West Northamptonshire and creating a cleaner environment for everyone, and our new fly-tipping charter sets out how we will do that.
"We will work with communities and our partners to educate people about the detrimental effect of fly-tipping, while we also target resources effectively in order to catch and punish offenders in line with our enforcement policy.
"By working together we can reduce waste on our streets and create cleaner communities."
As of April 5, the petition has 432 signatures with various supporters expressing their reasonings online.
One local resident said: "I'm born and bred in Northampton and its decline it's disgusting".
Another commented: "Something has to be done to save the town."
To read more about the community petition, click here: https://www.change.org/p/open-letter-for-improvements-for-residents-living-in-northampton
Do you live in Kingsley and have a story to tell? Contact us at thekingsleycourier@gmail.com
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