A LYE community campaigner who has taken it upon himself to keep the town’s streets tidy claims the High Street would be a ‘no go zone’ if he withdrew his efforts.
Gary Farmer, who runs Poshkutz dog grooming parlour in Lye High Street, has been taking to the streets on a regular basis for the last five years to try and improve areas plagued by litter, fly-tipping and little maintenance.
Mr Farmer, who sweeps the High Street and empties the bins late almost every night, regularly reports on his clean-ups and the volume of rubbish collected on Facebook live videos and he estimates he collects up between 150 to 200 bags of rubbish a week.
He said: “It’s every week – regular spots. Landlords don’t provide adequate bins for properties. That’s why I go round and clean up, so we don’t get the rats.”
In one of his recent posts, he hit out at local elected representatives – saying he’s asked them to join him to help or to see where the waste is coming from but says he’s been doing all the hard graft by himself – assisted only by just one trusty volunteer.
Gary, aged 53, said: “So nearly five years of me running this and still no help from councillors who claim to be fighting war on fly-tipping in the area. They have done nothing, no extra street cleaners, no extra road sweepers for pavements and kerbs, storm drains all blocked.
“I've invited councillors to join me and see the issues but not one has taken my offer up. If I stop doing all this Lye will be a no go zone.”
Ward councillors, however, have hit back - saying claims they haven’t offered to help or get involved are rubbish.
Councillor Dave Borley (Conservative) said: “Gary and his team continue to do sterling work in keeping Lye tidy. However, he is incorrect that he has had no support from councillors and the council. We have had numerous meetings with Gary over recent years on how we can assist and what equipment he needs - i.e. bags. This has been supplied on request. We also have a plan to prevent the constant fly-tipping.”
He added: “As part of the ‘Life in Lye’ group that’s run by the council, we have done our own separate litter picks involving the local Lye community and more are planned for the future.”
He added that “exciting” regeneration plans for the town, championed by West Midlands’ Mayor Andy Street and Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb, are progressing and that these “will vastly improve the Lye”.
Councillor Pete Lowe (Labour) also denied claims made by Mr Farmer. He said: “It is simply not true.
“I regularly attend Lye as part of my duties, report issues and ensure action is taken.
“I met with Gary a short time ago and we had a productive and amicable meeting discussing issues around Lye High Street.
“I have responded promptly to every request for assistance and will continue to do so.
“At present, with the council finances near bankruptcy, the role of volunteers in our community is more important than ever. We will continue to support all these groups as much as we can.”
Councillor Mohamed Hanif (Labour) had not responded to a request for comment at time of publication.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel