Bosses at Cheshire East Council have refused a request to revisit the controversial Green Waste Charges set to be brought in from January, say Conservative councillors.
The Conservative Group on Cheshire East had officially referred the decision made at Environment & Communities Committee decision to implement Green Waste Charges to full council.
But Cheshire East Council has refused to validate the request, says Tory leader Cllr Janet Clowes.
They say reasons given are that the “original decision to charge for green waste… was made at full council on 22 February 2023. That decision cannot be subject to referral and is binding on the [Environment & Communities] committee…There can be no challenge to the full council decision”.
But Tory councillors claim the decision was flawed as it was best without other alternatives being considered.
Cllr Tony Dean (Knutsford) said: “The green bin charge was presented as a ‘fait accompli’ having been decided by a small group who put together the draft MTFS earlier in 2023.
“At no time was the Environment & Communities Committee invited to contribute or help develop this policy prior to the draft MTFS being presented “for noting only” at the January 2023 meeting.
“A meeting was called on 15th August to try and settle these issues following the split decision of the committee in July to apply a charge, (the highest in the North-West) for collecting and composting green bin waste for CE residents.
“Signatories of the referral spoke at length in support of the decision being reviewed at Full Council in October following further exploration of viable alternatives.”
Cllrs Gardiner, Holland, Parkinson, Bailey and Redstone also challenged CEC assumptions regarding fly-tipping, food waste disposal, likely take-up rates, higher tonnages into black bins, impacts on the Green Waste Hub at Leighton Grange and on the council’s own ecological and carbon neutrality strategy objectives.
Cllr Janet Clowes (Conservative Leader) said: “The council’s refusal to re-visit this decision is based on February’s MTFS Budget decision suggesting that such decisions are ‘set in stone’.
“Yet we know that decisions made at the same meeting about library opening hours, have already been re-worked and local authorities (like any other business), must constantly re-model their fiscal planning to meet changing circumstances and priorities.
“The debate and fiscal data provided at last week’s meeting was valuable, but it should have been available to both the Environment & Communities Committee members and other interested councillors before the Budget Consultation in January, when members would have been able to proactively inform policy.
“We welcome the officers’ report stating that ‘…engagement with members on budget matters has been revised and is already being undertaken’.
“But that is too little, too late when discussing a green waste charge that will impact on this borough’s environmental aspirations and on residents’ pockets for years to come.”
We have contacted Cheshire East for a comment and are awaiting a reply.
great idea, far too many brown bins out on the street come collection day with only a bag of peeled veg, a few dead flowers and a bucket of grass clippings, what a waste of money employing staff to empty a 1/4 of contents when the job means a full bin, great cost savings , time, machinery and fuel as folk will now have to share the cost with next door for efficiency, so only a small increase a year, I will share with three other neighbours so less than £14 a year thanks very much
So much for democracy, what a load of the proverbial B##l S##t.
I do so hope that the elected councillors come round door knocking for the general election next year,you Labour lot will be given a lovely welcome, I will have plenty of room available in my garden waste bin for you.
Let’s stick together on this,just don’t pay,
Corcoran and his cronies punishing people for having nice gardens