Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to tackle the 'toxic dump scandal' and end rough sleeping as part of a new Downing Street statement outlining 'difficult issues' he plans to fix.
Focus on neglected issues
Mr Burnham is set to embark on the second week of his nationwide summer tour, shifting focus toward issues he claims have been ignored by Westminster for too long. The tour aims to connect directly with voters to inform his 10-year plan for the UK, prioritising problems previously deemed 'too hard' to resolve.
Key pledges include ending rough sleeping and addressing the 'toxic dump scandal' affecting communities across the country. This month, four men were arrested following an investigation into 25,000 tonnes of toxic waste at a former scrapyard on Bolton House Road in Bickershaw, Wigan.
Organised crime and arrests
The 'ocean of rubbish' emerged last summer, and a week-long fire later saw tonnes of waste burned, emitting dangerous fumes and forcing nearby schools to close. Mr Burnham said: "This is not fly tipping. This is organised crime, and it is local communities that are paying the price. For too long, this issue has been ignored. But not on my watch."
Two men, aged 35 and 41, from Wigan, a 24-year-old from Leeds, and a 59-year-old from Liverpool have been detained on suspicion of environmental, fraud and money laundering offences. The suspect from Leeds has also been arrested in relation to waste dumping at a site in Leicestershire.
Government response and criticism
A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister wants to bring back hope that we can finally fix the difficult issues facing the country. This includes taking on issues that others have said are intractable, like ending rough sleeping and resolving the toxic dump, fly-tipping, and environmental vandalism scandal."
Last week, Mr Burnham visited Derbyshire, the West Midlands, Devon, and Cornwall, where he announced measures to help with the cost of living crisis and handed more powers to local councils to improve town centres. New rules mean vape and betting shops will require planning permission, with local residents given a greater say over whether they can open and to stop them opening near schools.
The Prime Minister has also faced growing calls to deal with the extreme heatwave and drought affecting much of England and Wales. He chaired a meeting with COBR earlier this week on the national response to wildfires and the heat. It is understood that Mr Burnham will spend time at 'Number 10 North', one month on since the regional headquarters was established.
However, opposition figures have criticised the summer tour as a 'vanity' project. Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat's treasury spokeswoman, said struggling high street businesses 'need more than a new PM embarking on a vanity tour this summer'. Reform UK's economic spokesman Robert Jenrick added: "If Andy Burnham wants to help people with the cost of living, he should scrap the green levies and taxes on energy bills and rule out tax rises at the Budget."
