“For my children and yours, let’s make our streets safer and cleaner by ending fly-tipping.”

Joe Jervis, Labour candidate standing in Rush Green and Crowlands has set out his priorities ahead of the upcoming local elections, placing a strong focus on tackling fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour, and improving the cleanliness and safety of local streets.

Any local council candidate – regardless of party affiliation – should be driven by the passion to make their community a better place to grow up in, and grow old in. That’s why I – and my fellow Labour candidates in Rush Green and Crowlands – are determined to make our neighbourhoods safer and cleaner.

As a father of young children, I see the huge potential in Havering and am proud to have chosen the borough as my home – but I can’t ignore issues such as theft, anti-social behaviour, and perhaps most starkly, the endemic fly-tipping we are witnessing.

Fly-tipping and littering are no longer minor nuisances—they’ve become a visible, growing stain on our streets. That’s why, if elected on Thursday, I’m determined to use the new powers granted to Havering to clamp down on this criminal activity at source – because residents deserve clean, safe streets they can feel proud of.

I’ve been speaking to residents of Rush Green and Crowlands over the past year, and rubbish dumped on our roads, alleyways, and green spaces is a priority issue.

This isn’t just about appearances. Fly-tipping attracts more crime, damages the environment, and costs taxpayers significant sums to clean up. It sends the message that no one is in charge—and I reject that entirely.

The good news is that action is possible. The Labour Government’s new national Waste Crime Action Plan sets out stronger powers and resources for councils such as Havering to tackle this issue head-on. The government has increased funding and expanded enforcement powers. These include using CCTV to deter and catch offenders, stopping and searching suspicious vehicles, seizing those used in illegal dumping, and issuing fines, driving bans, community service or even prison sentences to offenders.

But powers alone aren’t enough—they must be used. That’s why I’ve already met with the council’s enforcement team to discuss how we can step up action locally. And I’ve raised this issue – and other anti-social behaviour and crime – with Met officers. Only by taking hard, meaningful action will we force these criminals to change their behaviour. That’s what I’ll push for as a councillor.

At the same time, enforcement must go hand in hand with prevention. Residents have told me clearly: we need more and bigger bins for litter, and better legal waste removal options. It’s common sense – if people have somewhere to put rubbish, and streets are well maintained, we reduce the likelihood of waste building up in the first place. Of course, we also need cleaners back on our streets.

This is about pride in our area. It’s about protecting our environment and ensuring that everyone—young or old—can walk through Rush Green and Crowlands without seeing piles of dumped waste and excessive litter.

I’m standing as a candidate because I believe in practical solutions and community-first action. I’m worried we’ve seen too little progress under the HRA and local Conservative councillors.

Building a better Havering will only happen if we all work together. We should hold each other to high social standards – yet we should be wise to those who seek to exploit problems for their own gain rather than help solve them.

A vote for me and my Labour colleagues is a vote to reduce fly-tipping and litter – and to go after all anti-social behaviour. It’s a vote for safer, cleaner streets, stronger enforcement, and a council that listens. If elected, I will make sure this issue stays at the top of the agenda—until we see real, lasting change, for my family and yours.

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