Three Cheshire East tips expected to close in April look set to be mothballed rather than permanently shut – with a final decision being taken in September, writes Belinda Ryan.
Cheshire East’s environment and communities committee voted by six to five in favour of recommending that there be an “emergency reduction of household waste recycling centres (HWRC)… from April 1, 2024, in advance of the formal HWRC review being presented to committee later in 2024”.
If agreed the tips at Middlewich, Bollington and Poynton will be “mothballed” on April 1 this year.
Ralph Kemp, head of environmental services, told Tuesday’s meeting: “The existing household waste centre contract has within it the ability to mothball sites within the contract… from April 1, in advance of any formal decision being made.
“So, it’s not saying we couldn’t re-open them in the future once we’ve had a formal procurement or a formal decision agreed, it’s just recognising the financial position the committee and the council’s in.”
The emergency closure would save an estimated £750,000 in the 2024/25 financial year.
In the meantime the review of all the sites across the borough would be conducted.
Tom Shuttleworth, interim director of environment and neighbourhoods, told councillors: “We’d be looking at a report to this committee in September around the permanent long-term future for HWRC provision in the borough…
“That would be supported by the feasibility study… the outcome from the procurement etc and then, with a view to the new contract and the final solution being in place for April 2025.”
He added: “This is a one-year, 12-month, savings proposal, simply on the basis that, by April 1, 2025, we expect to have the permanent solution in place.”
Macclesfield councillor Mary Brooks (Lab) asked: “Are we confident that the remaining HWRCs [at Alsager, Crewe, Knutsford and Macclesfield] are equipped to cope with additional volumes of waste?”
She also raised concerns about fly-tipping if the three HWRCs closed.
Mr Kemp said the authority could cope with four centres although acknowledged ‘it may involve, at peak times, some form of queuing or traffic management’.
He said when the council had closed Congleton and Arclid tips there hadn’t been a large spike in fly-tipping.
“What we tend to see is initial protest fly-tipping in the immediate vicinity of the site, so people turning up and dumping it at the gate,” he said.
Cllr Judy Snowball (Macclesfield, Lab) said: “So there wouldn’t be any prospect of any changes taking place, either in staffing, maintenance or in terms of site changes that would preclude them being re-opened should the feasibility, the procurement and ultimate decision be that they are going to be re-opened?”
Mr Shuttleworth said staffing was a matter for the contract provider – and as there’s a procurement process under way that would change anyway.
“But, in terms of the sites themselves, there’s no intention to modify them in any way simply because there isn’t the money to do that and there’s no real need to do that either,” he said.
The ‘emergency closure’ decision will now be considered by the corporate policy committee at its meeting in February.
A final decision on the one-year closure will then be made at the full council’s budget meeting on February 27.
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Its absolutely ridiculous Cheshire east council just keep cutting more and more services,, My council tax has risen by 19% plus charging for the “green bin so that’s another £ 1 week adding to the extra £11 a week I will be paying in council tax , surely
It must cost more to clear up the rubbish left by fly tipping, I agree that perhaps keeping tips open a few days a week may be a compromise.
So, the council start charging us for green bin collections then close these well-used tips as well. It’s farcical – just watch how the rubbish pulls up.
Well that’s my council tax stopped, I don’t have a bin collection and rely on the Anson tip to take my rubbish.
The council is demanding a large amount of house building in Poynton but deciding to close the recycling centre. It just doesn’t make sense. How will people living close to the tip in Macclesfield cope with the inevitable traffic jams? Will there be a rapid enough turnover of skips to cope with the heavy demand?
Typical Cheshire East Council. Close more tips, approve more housing developments. Fail to build the infrastructure to cope with an increasing population. What more can be said.
I agree Cheshire East is full of Fly Tipping already and Rubbish all over residential Street. Pathetic idea closing the Tip just another non investment for us then just like our supposed new Shopping Center that we now have a pointless Car Park for. Why not think about lowering local Buisness Rates so the public can afford to open shops again and bring some investment into our Town a productive way not just close down another public service.
Total incompetence as usual from cheshire east but we have a ready made excuse hs2 that they have allegedly invested in . Its one disaster after another crewe town centre a project more than twenty years in the making and a total disaster multi story car park for a demolition site genius. New council office in sandbach half used and now surplus to requirements just a few of there finest moments there are many many more
To save costs why not just open on a Saturday, otherwise you will risk roadside heaps of fly tipping, it isn’t rocket science, its just comment sense
I hope that the council is prepared for the potential increase in fly tipping as a direct result of their decision.