Clean communities for King's Coronation says Sherwood MP Mark Spencer

As we enter February, we find ourselves one step closer to the start of spring that, for many of us, cannot come sooner. — Writes Sherwood MP Mark Spencer

As a country, we have so much to look forward to as the seasons begin to change. I for one am looking forward to the brighter days, the shedding of my winter coat and the blossoming of our ecosystem as animals withdraw from hibernation.

I also find myself in anticipation of the upcoming coronation of His Majesty, King Charles III, which is set to take place at the height of spring on May 6 — an event that I am sure will bring communities up and down the nation in celebration of our new Monarch.

With that said, it is clear that our community and residential spaces will play host to a number of street parties, including the King’s Big Coronation Lunches and Big Help Out activities that are set to take place.

Therefore, I want to take this month’s As I See It as an opportunity to address littering in and around our towns and cities and to encourage my constituents to contribute in any way they can to make Sherwood ‘Clean for the Coronation’.

Litter blights our towns and roadsides and spoils our enjoyment of community spaces — not to mention the extreme expense of hundreds of millions of pounds that local authorities spend to clean it up each year.

Despite this, I am firmly committed to tackling littering not just in Sherwood, but across the country, and know that the Prime Minister himself sees this as a task in which all Britons can contribute.

The government’s Litter Strategy aims to deliver a substantial reduction in litter, bringing communities together around topics of education and awareness, improving enforcement and better cleaning and bin access.

I am glad to say that since the publication of the strategy in 2017, the government has bolstered councils with greater powers of enforcement, including by increasing the fine for littering to double the maximum fixed penalty.

It is important to note that littering, whether it be out of your vehicle or along your local high street puts you at risk of prosecution in a magistrates’ court, which can lead to a criminal record and/or a fine of up to £2,500; you are also at risk of on-the-spot fines of between £65 and £150, or a default penalty of £100 if your local authority has not set its own penalty levels.

I would urge any of my constituents across Sherwood who are tempted to litter to practice the mantras of the ‘Keep It, Bin It’ anti-litter campaign — take your litter with you and dispose of it in the nearest bin, not on our streets and across our landscapes.

Let’s work together as we approach the spring to challenge ourselves and others when there is the temptation to litter, so that when events like the Coronation come around, we can celebrate in spaces free of rubbish. In the name of His Majesty and in the interest of our towns and villages across Sherwood, let’s get ‘Clean for the Coronation’.