ILLEGAL fly-tipping blighting a borough is a result of organised crime - not frustrated residents dumping it at the roadside, claim senior councillors.

Calderdale Cabinet councillors doubted it would increase if Elland tip was closed.

Calderdale Council were debating a 2,531 petition opposing budget proposals made earlier this year – but deferred pending the introduction and success of a permit system at all tips – to close the town’s waste and recycling centre.

Some councillors were concerned that closing Elland – one of the borough’s five such centres – would result in more fly-tipping.

Presenting the petition, Councillor Paul Bellenger (Lib Dem, Greetland and Stainland) claimed fly-tipping had increased on occasions when Elland had been closed.

The proposed annual saving of £150,000 could be whittled away by the cost of dealing with extra fly-tipping, he argued.

“Sometimes a small saving can become more costly,” said Cllr Bellenger.

But Cabinet member for Public Services and Communities, Cllr Danielle Durrans (Lab, Ovenden) said no decision to close the centre had been taken.

A report assessing the impact of the permit scheme, brought in to save money by reducing waste people from outside the borough might be dumping there – it costs councils to get rid of waste – and avoiding the need to close any tips, is due.

On fly-tipping, she said there was no correlation that people who had loaded up their cars and found a tip closed would dump it at the roadside rather than drive a few miles further.

“There is no justification for that, there is no evidence – the issue with fly-tipping we do have is that it is serious organised crime,” said Cllr Durrans.

The council had teams dedicated to tracking down the culprits and had the highest fine levels in West Yorkshire for those caught, she said.

Cllr Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), Cabinet member for Climate Action and Housing, said: “Fly-tipping is a blight and we know it affects all our ward – it is an organised crime act.”

Cllr Bellenger had also argued forcing drivers to travel further to use alternative tips at Halifax or Brighouse would “make a mockery” of the council’s air quality strategy.

He wondered if the other tips could cope with the extra tonnage and added that although tonnage dealt with by the Elland tip may be lower that did not address actual footfall.

Extra homes proposed for the area through the newly adopted Local Plan would also increase demand.

Cllr Bellenger’s petition had called for alternative savings options to be explored, including closing all Calderdale’s waste centres two days midweek to make savings but keeping them all open.

But a majority of councillors supported Cllr Patient’s amendment that the petition contents just be noted.