South Wales Central Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies has told Senedd ministers they must act to combat fly-tipping in the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Davies described fly-tipping as a “growing phenomenon in the Vale of Glamorgan”, and pointed to neighbouring Bridgend, which he said, “has not prosecuted a single fly-tipping incident for over 10 years”.
He said “there is an onus on the Welsh Government to take ownership and work with partners in local government to make sure that the tools that are available are being used.”
Mr Davies has long warned that of the problem of local authorities prioritising resources on projects outside of their core remit, such as the Vale of Glamorgan’s decision to designate itself a “County of Sanctuary” for asylum seekers.
He said that this, along with other initiatives such as diversity, equality and inclusion schemes should scrapped, with resources reallocated to combat problems like fly-tipping.
Mr Davies said:
“Fly-tipping is a blight on communities in the Vale of Glamorgan, and news that there hasn’t been a single prosecution in Bridgend will do nothing to deter people from the practice across South Wales.
“To combat it, we need strong enforcement and tough penalties, to send a message that fly-tippers will face the consequences of their actions.
“Local authorities must scrap initiatives like DEI and designating themselves Counties of Sanctuary for asylum seekers and prioritise the core services they exist to deliver.”
ENDS
NOTE: Please find below the Senedd’s Record of Proceedings from 21st October 2025
Andrew RT Davies
14:57:03
Secondly, I would like a statement from the Minister responsible for fly-tipping here—the local government Minister. We had a very powerful debate a few weeks ago here—a Member-led debate—about fly-tipping. It is a growing phenomenon that is happening in South Wales Central, in particular in the Vale of Glamorgan. But, when you see neighbouring authorities such as Bridgend, which have not prosecuted a single fly-tipping incident for over 10 years, then it really is doing little to deter people from travelling around south Wales and illegally tipping goods in gateways and other beauty spots that, ultimately, are blighting our countryside. So, there is an onus on the Welsh Government to take ownership here and work with their partners in local government to make sure that the tools that are available are being used, rather than, as I said, in the instance of Bridgend local authority, there being not one prosecution for 10 years.