Lee Anderson column: Four-day week bin collections clearly isn't working in Ashfield

Since then, the number of complaints that I've received from Ashfield residents relating to missed bin collections has significantly increased by 2,733 per cent when compared to the same time period prior to the introduction of the changes.

Many residents have told me that entire neighbourhoods are having to endure their bin collections being frequently missed and, for some residents, their bins are being collected on Saturdays instead - completely defeating the purpose of the four-day week.

So, what was meant to be a money-saving exercise, as is what we are told by the proponents of the four-day working week by way of increased productivity, it seems in the case of Ashfield's bin collections it is actually costing taxpayers more as refuse workers are having to work on Saturdays to collect the bins that were otherwise missed.

It is clearly not working and it is residents and taxpayers that are having to deal with the consequences.

I am in frequent contact with Ashfield Council on this issue, and rest assured that I am holding them to account on this.

The current situation is not good enough for residents.

I was delighted to welcome Keith Croft to his new role as police inspector for Ashfield.

I look forward to working with Keith going forwards, especially in our town centres where there are still ongoing issues with yobs causing anti-social behaviour, intimidating residents, and openly breaking the law.

Our towns centres and high streets have significantly declined over recent years, and have now become hotspots for this sort of behaviour.

IIt is not acceptable that residents are now scared to visit our towns

Law-abiding citizens deserve to feel safe and that is why a Reform UK Government will restore visible policing, much tougher sentencing for serious and repeat offenders - including mandatory minimums and an uncompromising approach to crime and anti-social behaviour.

We will deploy stop and search to get deadly weapons off our streets and keep people safe.

We will rapidly build prison capacity to ensure no violent criminals are released early due to overcrowding and that judges hand criminals the sentences they deserve.

Victims will come first, not criminals.

The law will protect those who obey it and punish those who break it.

Safe streets are the bedrock of a civilised society.

The EU debate has re-emerged this week in the midst of the ongoing Labour civil war.

Many red wall areas voted for Brexit, many by significant margins - Ashfield voted 70 per cent to Leave in 2016.

Yet this week, as if a spit in the face to those voters, senior figures in the Labour Party are now seriously considering dragging us back into the EU without any say from the public.

Reform UK cannot be clearer - this cannot happen.

It would be an utter betrayal of democracy and of the British people.