A charge for new and replacement wheelie bins will hit Nantwich and Crewe residents next month after a request to look again at the scheme was rejected, writes Stephen Topping.
From October, Cheshire East residents will be faced with a £30 charge for the standard 240-litre recycling, black residual waste or garden waste bin, or £25 for a smaller 140-litre bin.
Labour councillors announced last week they would call the decision in for further scrutiny after residents slammed the proposals during public consultation – while CEC’s environment and regeneration overview and scrutiny committee urged the cabinet to ditch the plans in June.
But the request to call in the move has been rejected by CEC’s monitoring officer – and the charge is set to go ahead.
Cllr Nick Mannion, Labour CEC member for Macclesfield West and Ivy, said: “They have said we can’t call it in as it does not comply with the rules.
“If you look at the minutes of that scrutiny meeting it says not to implement the change, so we are in a bit of a quandary.
“The way the rules are it is very difficult to challenge a [cabinet] portfolio holder’s decision.
“I have had a very, very, very long email from the monitoring officer saying why we can’t call it in.
“I think they are just trying to ram it through.
“They are hiding behind protocols and procedures but at the end of the day it is quite clearly in the minutes of the scrutiny committee in June not to introduce the charge. It says that in black and white.”
The plans were set out as part of CEC’s budget for 2018-19 in February, when the proposal was accepted subject to consultation.
That consultation took place from March to May, when just 34% of 1,895 respondents agreed with the proposal.
Labour members have raised concerns that the move will affect the borough’s more vulnerable residents most, including those in smaller terraced homes where wheelie bins could be more likely to be stolen.
Cllr Sarah Pochin, Conservative member for Willaston and Rope, has also been a vocal opponent to the new charge, and raised concerns that “yet again the views of a scrutiny committee seem to have been ignored”.
CEC will replace lost or stolen bins for free in the first instance, but the charge will come into effect if the bin disappears again within three years – although bins damaged during waste collection will be replaced free of charge.
Meanwhile, a 25% concessionary rate will apply to residents on qualifying benefits.
In a statement issued when CEC confirmed the charge last week, Cllr Glen Williams, CEC deputy cabinet member for environment, said: “The council spent £300,000 on supplying bins and a further £64,000 for the delivery and administration of bins in 2017-18.
“With an ongoing reduced budget position and in order to continue to provide this service across the borough, it is necessary to start charging for the service to provide and deliver bins to properties.
“As has been the case in other local authority areas, our new bin charging policy will also have the added benefit of encouraging residents to take greater responsibility for their bins, as well as help to reduce demand for replacements in the future.”
A CEC spokesman said: “The reasons for the call-in request, made by six members of the council, were that relevant information had been ignored, viable alternatives had not been considered, and justification for the decision could be open to challenge.
“Decisions on whether to accept a call-in by members are taken by the council’s monitoring officer, in accordance with the council’s constitution.
“In this case, the monitoring officer looked at the information provided in the call-in request, considered the relevant committee minutes and delegated decision report and was satisfied that no relevant information had been ignored by the decision maker.
“He also concluded that alternative proposals had been considered and justification had been provided for the decision.
“He was content that the decision was not open to challenge and, therefore, he rejected the call-in request.”
I can’t see a problem really, the ones who get their bins nicked are the very same lazy idiots that leave them out on the street after collection day.
Savings have to be made against the bone idle in the community,
Savings made for those in real need
Oh good, more thefts of bins and more flytipping ahead!