The Secretary of State made the tongue-in-cheek comment while responding to tweets read out by the Communities and Local Government committee, which convened to assess the performance of DCLG over the past year.
A question posted by one Twitter user asked Mr Pickles whether people should be punished for leaving wheelie bins out on the street when they are not due for collection.
The minister jokingly responded that they ‘should be flogged’ before offering a serious answer to the question.
Mr Pickles said: “Clearly if you have somehow managed to leave your wheelie bin ajar or put a yoghurt pot in the wrong place, then we are on you like a tonne of bricks. But if you park the damn thing in the street it’s not very neighbourly is it?
“But no, as long as it’s not in the middle of the road I don’t see why people should be punished for that.”
Deregulation Bill
The minister’s light-hearted response comes ahead of the Deregulation Bill, which is due to be discussed in Parliament during the New Year.
The Bill is set to water down ‘punitive measures’ used by councils to increase recycling – and in some cases ‘de-criminalise’ household waste offences altogether (see letsrecycle.com story).
Under the proposals, the maximum amount councils would be allowed to charge residents in fixed penalties would be lowered to £60 – compared to the current level of up to £1,000.
Mr Pickles was also asked by one committee member whether he had an opinion on the ‘essential’ services that local authorities should provide.
Adopting a more serious tone, Mr Pickles replied: “I think local authorities should have a discretion in terms of what they provide. You are there to serve the people who elected you. You are there to provide what local people are looking for.”
‘Salami-slicing’
And, on funding, Mr Pickles condemned the ‘salami-slicing’ approach that some councils take to axing staff and services to cut a percentage off the budget – but condoned the joint working approach that many other local authorities had adopted to overcome cuts.
Councils are currently awaiting the outcome of a £5 million recycling incentive fund that DCLG has offered to authorities that undertake weekly refuse and food waste collections.
Successful applicants to the scheme will be informed whether they will receive funding in January 2015 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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