ConservativeHome's Local Government Blog

Tories to find £121m to restore weekly bin collections

In the first big policy announcement of Conservative Party Conference, David Cameron has told the Daily Mail that a Conservative Government will find the money to allow councils to restore weekly bin collections for all households.

Just over half of councils have scrapped weekly collections.

The Mail notes:

"The average cost of weekly collections is £59.80 per household per year, compared to £44.63 for fortnightly ones. That means the total cost of moving back to weekly collections is £121million. The Tories say they will raise £133million by scrapping funding for a range of inspectorates, regional assemblies, Labour's new planning superquango and forcing councils to spend less on promotion."

The following bullet points were issued in a CCHQ press release this morning:

• "A Conservative Government will change Whitehall policy so that there is an expectation that councils should offer full weekly collections, ending and reversing the Labour policy of bin cuts, which are harming public health and the local environment.
• Central funding will be offered for all councils to have a proper weekly collection, so they can offer a proper refuse service, as well as comprehensive recycling collections. This will be provided by scrapping a series of unelected quangos and local government bureaucracy.
• Councils, subject to the ballot box, will still have the final decision on what services to offer – but they will no longer be forced and bullied into cutting services because of Whitehall diktats.
• Gordon Brown’s plans for new bin taxes will be scrapped. Labour’s stealth taxes threaten to harm the environment by fuelling fly-tipping and backyard burning.
• Conservatives will champion green incentives – from trials for free green compost bins, water butts, green cones and garden wormeries, to the ‘Recyclebank’ scheme, used in America, where householders are paid for recycling.
• New powers will be given to councils to introduce local council tax cuts for recycling and green behaviour."

Eric Pickles MP commented:

“Gordon Brown is making it increasingly hard for families to throw away their waste responsibly. Despite soaring levels of council tax, local residents are being hit by cuts to collections, over-zealous use of bin fines and the prospect of expensive new bin taxes which will push up the cost of living. Councils are getting the blame for policies imposed by Whitehall. Conservatives believe that decent rubbish collections are a vital front-line council service to help protect the local environment and public health. We reject Labour’s approach of state bullying, cutting services and higher taxes. We will provide funding for those councils that wish to introduce proper weekly rubbish collections, on top of comprehensive recycling services. We will make it easier for families to go green and increase recycling by working with households, not punishing them with heavy-handed bin taxes, bin cuts and bin fines."

Overfilling your rubbish bin could cost you a larger fine than shoplifting

The Sunday Times reveals that the Government is recommending a fine of £75 to £110 for families who overfill their rubbish bins.  The newspaper notes that this scale of penalty would be "higher than the £80 on-the-spot fines levied by police for offences ranging from being drunk and disorderly to shoplifting".

Eric Pickles told The Sunday Times: “It is clear Whitehall bureaucrats are instructing town halls to target householders with fines for minor breaches. Yet with the slow death of weekly collections and shrinking bins, it is increasingly hard for families to dispose of their rubbish responsibly. It is fundamentally unfair that householders are now getting hammered with larger fines than shoplifters get for stealing.”

No councils have volunteered for Labour's bin tax pilot scheme

The Conservatives have found out that not a single council has volunteered for Labour’s controversial bin tax pilot scheme. Ministers have been pushing for the introduction of bin taxes based on frequency or on weight.

The Labour-dominated Communities & Local Government Select Committee had said in February that it was hard to see why any council would want to "set up a complicated charging scheme that earns it no money and risks widespread public disapproval", so it shouldn't be a surprise.

Brown had reportedly wanted to dump the unpopular policy last autumn, it would have been better for him if he'd been decisive on it. Add this to the promotion of fortnightly collections and bin inspectors/fines and you don't get a very popular approach to household waste. Shadow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has commented on this latest development:

"This should sound the death knell for bin taxes and bin bureaucracy. However I fear that despite widespread public opposition, bin taxes are still very much alive and kicking as Ministers press ahead with a policy they hope will fill the empty Government coffers.

To add insult to injury Joan Ruddock has made the astonishing admission that bin taxes will push up the cost of living for hard pressed families battling with the credit crunch. Then she admits no one wants them. Will Labour have to roll out more bin tax bribes to persuade councils to implement them?

It is beyond doubt that the only thing bin taxes will do is fuel a surge in fly-tipping and increase backyard burning as people try to dodge paying another of Gordon Brown’s stealth tax."

Labour set to give 'bin men' new reasons not to collect your rubbish

The law has existed for 130 years but The Telegraph reports that a household's right to have its rubbish collected by their local authority is to be scrapped by Labour.

Conservative HQ believe that the change could mean no bin collection if...

"(a) the bin was put out the night before rather than on the morning;
(b) the bin was not on kerbside but was placed inside the garden by a back door;
(c) having a full bin; or
(d) if the recycling boxes had the wrong sort of material in a confusing mix of different boxes."

Eric Pickles MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, issued this statement:

“Ministers in Whitehall have masterminded the cuts to weekly rubbish collections, over-zealous bin fines and shrinking the size of household bins. Gordon Brown’s bin bullies now want to take the country back to the 19th Century by abolishing councils’ duties to collect rubbish, and give bin men any excuse they want not to collect your bin.

 “It is disgraceful that these new laws are being rushed through Parliament with no debate and no vote. Labour are becoming increasingly obsessed with silencing the voice of the people. Given rubbish collection is one of the most unionised part of local government, I fear that this will give new powers to militant shop stewards to refuse to collect bins for spurious, time-saving reasons.”

“People genuinely want to improve recycling and go green, but Labour’s policy of bin cuts and bin taxes will fuel fly-tipping, backyard burning and harm public health. These changes will fuel the public backlash at the Government’s rubbish policies. Under Gordon Brown, local residents are paying exorbitant levels of council tax, but are failing to get decent public services in return.”

Tory questions unveil infestation danger of fortnightly bin collections

Questions tabled by the Conservatives have forced the Government to reveal the findings of a £27,000 study that warned of increased health risks from rats, flies and seagulls if rubbish collections were reduced in frequency.  The report found that vermin and insects could be "encouraged into the home environment" as a result of fortnightly collections.

Eric Pickles MP, Shadow Local Government Secretary, told The Sunday Telegraph:

"Ministers   have been caught red-handed trying to hide worrying research from the   Government's own scientists. There is a clear health risk from cuts to   weekly rubbish collections, as will become apparent in the summer as   temperatures increase. Under Gordon Brown, local residents are paying exorbitant levels of   council tax but are failing to get decent public services in return. People genuinely want to improve recycling and go green, but Labour's   approach of forcing rubbish cuts is not the answer, as it will harm the   local environment and public health."

Plymouth Conservatives under fire for bin collection questionnaire

Reports in The Daily Mail and Times target Tory-controlled Plymouth council this morning for an "intrusive" questionnaire that it is considering as part of its rubbish collection service.

Plymouth Conservatives are considering asking a minority of the city's households to name an individual who will be responsible for that household's recycling in order to make it possible to then prosecute that person if the household fails to recycle or to properly separate different types of rubbish.  Plymouth's initiative follow an unsuccessful prosecution in Exeter - a prosecution that failed because it was impossible to identify who had been culpable for the 'offence'.

A spokesman for the council told the Plymouth Herald:

"The letter is something we are working on to try to tackle those who consistently ignore the rules, not something we would send to every household.  The letter, which has not yet been approved, is something we were preparing for those who do not heed initial warnings.  We are looking at a questionnaire which would include more detailed questions, such as how many people are in a household and whether they have any medical needs we need to take into account that will enable us to help them rather than prosecute them.  Prosecution would only be used as a last resort, after education and a series of letters. If they consistently ignore all offers of help we will prosecute them using powers under Environmental Protection Act 1990."

Christine Melsom, of the council tax protest group Is It Fair? told the Daily Mail:

"My advice to people who get these letters is to throw them in the bin. Just make sure it's the right bin."

Labour haven't binned rubbish tax plans... they'll return after polling day

The Daily Mail reports documents uncovered by the Conservatives that show that ministers HAVE NOT shelved plans to introduce taxes on household waste but that these taxes could be introduced for 62% of households once tomorrow's elections are over.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, Eric Pickles MP said:

"Ministers know that bin taxes will cause a massive public backlash. Yet, just as with cuts to weekly rubbish collections, they are telling town halls to keep quiet until after elections. The public have a right to know if their town hall is going to increase taxes on them after election day. Labour ministers are deliberately conspiring with a cadre of town hall bureaucrats to keep the public, candidates and councillors in the dark."

Families will be hardest hit by these plans and although the initial annual estimate of the tax was £30, ministers have now admitted that the charge is likelier to be £50.  The Daily Mail suggests that the cost could actually be £100.

Related ConservativeHome link: How council tax has outpaced inflation under Labour and how other local stealth taxes have rocketed