Day 075 - 17 Jan 95 - Page 18

     
     1        different from the other?
     2        A.  No.
     3
     4   Q.   In terms of planning applications?
     5        A.  No.
     6
     7   Q.   And complaints?
     8        A.  No.
     9
    10   Q.   You have contact with similar groups in other countries, do
    11        you?
    12        A.  Yes.
    13
    14   Q.   Mr. Preston was asked, he was quoted in the Evening
    15        Standard as saying regarding littering:  "It is a British
    16        social problem and, given all the talent you guys have
    17        here, I am surprised you have not conquered it."  Then he
    18        was asked whether he remembered saying that.  He was not
    19        sure exactly whether that was the wording.  He said:  "It
    20        certainly represents my views".  This British social
         problem, is it, in your experience, a problem that is
    22        similar -- is the problem in this country similar to all
    23        the other countries  -----
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Are we worse than anyone else?
    26
    27   MR. MORRIS:  Are we worse than anyone else or better or the
    28        same?
    29        A.  Not worse, not better.
    30
    31   Q.   So it is a worldwide problem?
    32        A.  If you are talking about littering, yes.
    33
    34   Q.   Has littering and the amount of environment/index.html">litter increased over the
    35        time since the Keep Britain Tidy Group was set up in 1954?
    36        A.  Yes, the amount of environment/index.html">litter on the streets has,
    37        undoubtedly, grown during that 40-year period, and there
    38        have been changes in the practices of cleansing streets
    39        also during that period which has resulted in there being
    40        more environment/index.html">litter on the streets.  I think there are two
         component factors; one is littering has increased and in
    42        terms of what is dropped and the process whereby it is
    43        cleaned up has changed too.
    44
    45   Q.   So has the process whereby it is cleaned up got less
    46        efficient?
    47        A.  Until the 1990 Environmental Protection Act, yes.
    48
    49   Q.   I noticed -- this is a bit of an aside -- you changed your
    50        name from the Keep Britain Tidy Group to the Tidy Britain 
    51        Group.  It may be a silly question but maybe not, did you 
    52        do that because Britain was no longer tidy and you could 
    53        not keep it that way?  It is a question of -----
    54        A.  Absolutely.  It seemed to me to be strange to have an
    55        organisation talking about keeping a situation that did not
    56        exist.
    57
    58   Q.   Was it the time of a change where you felt that that had
    59        become apparent or had that become apparent before?
    60        A.  I think it had become apparent before that.