Plans to hire a litter enforcement officer have been put on hold, according to Cllr John Winder, who recently addressed the Ross-on-Wye Town Council.

On behalf of Keep Ross Tidy, he said that the proposal, which was put forward last year, had been to share the officer with Ledbury Council, but they have withdrawn their interest. 

Additionally, the amenity service review (which is happening this March) has also been looking into potentially hiring an operative, and Herefordshire Council is outsourcing their enforcement.

In light of these developments, it was decided to halt the plan for now, although it may be reinstated if circumstances change.

Ross Town Council and Herefordshire Council reached an agreement last year to introduce a litter enforcement officer to help clean up the town following a swath of complaints. It was planned to launch a six-month trial. The goal of the enforcement officer was to improve the cleanliness in the town and curb littering.

Councillor Louis Stark highlighted that the cost of the scheme would be covered by Ross Town Council, as both Herefordshire Council and contractors Balfour Beatty had failed to cover the expense.

Mayor Ed O’Driscoll, who chaired the meeting last year, drew parallels between this funding decision and the town council’s £16,000 commitment to restore the bus route from Ross-on-Wye to Ledbury via Newent.