Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage today praised the work of Gosport and Lee Litter Action during questions to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The local organisation is part of a wider national campaign to keep Britain's streets tidy. It has held a number of events across the Gosport and Lee-on-the-Solent area, bringing residents together to tackle the litter problem locally.
Caroline asked:
"This Saturday, I will be cleaning up Gosport with my local Litter Action group. In light of the recent launch of the DCLG Select Committee inquiry into litter, will the Minister join me in commending the Litter Action initiative which sees community volunteers from across the UK working to keep their local streets clean?"
Responding on behalf of the Government, the Minister responsible, Kris Hopkins MP, said:
"Well I fully commend the work of the group that she is supporting and also just to say that my own previous authority we identified six million pounds will have been spent on picking up litter; and across the country if you added that together, how many more elderly people could we be supporting? How many individuals in schools? How many books could we buy for libraries? It's about the lack of responsibility of the individual which needs to be addressed and challenged."
Speaking outside the Chamber, Caroline said:
"Not only is litter a vastly expensive problem, it is also an eyesore which can give an area an unflattering reputation. I hope that the Select Committee's inquiry will help inform the Government about how best to tackle this widespread issue and in the meantime, I am looking forward to seeing members of the local community on Saturday for our 'Big Clean Up' here in Gosport."
