Fury as North Northamptonshire Council say they'll plough ahead with £40 garden waste charges

Almost 80 per cent of residents had said they didn’t want new charges introduced
North Northamptonshire Council are set to introduce a £40 garden waste charge for residentsNorth Northamptonshire Council are set to introduce a £40 garden waste charge for residents
North Northamptonshire Council are set to introduce a £40 garden waste charge for residents

A £40 charge for garden waste collection looks almost certain to be introduced for every household who uses the service in North Northamptonshire.

Green bin collection has previously been free in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough – with a £55 annual charge in East Northamptonshire – and costs the council £2.695 each year, but now all those who need garden waste collected will be charged an annual £40 subscription starting in April next year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Those who have been paying in East Northamptonshire will get a £20 refund in the first year of the service to reflect the charges already incurred by them.

Subsidised garden composting bins will also be on offer at £11.99 including delivery to encourage people to compost their green waste at home.

The decision was publicly revealed last night in the agenda for the council’s Executive meeting that is set to take place next Thursday (September 15).

Councillors found out at almost the same time as the news was made public by NNC at 7.08pm, after this newspaper’s printed edition had already gone to the presses.

Read More
Fury as North Northants residents to be charged £40 for emptying green waste bin...
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hundreds of people immediately reacted angrily on social media following the news. There is known to be widespread unrest among councillors, including many Conservative members, about the decision at a time when many are struggling to pay basic bills because of the cost of living crisis.

Cllr Alison Dalziel (Lab, Corby West) called the decision ‘disgraceful’ and several Conservatives privately shared serious concerns with our reporters.

One said: “We can’t really believe that they’re just going to go ahead. I’ve received so many emails on this, none in support of it. People are really struggling at the moment. I’m not really sure where they’re going to find £40.”

Cllr Martin Griffiths (Ind, Irchester) said he believed that the decision should be called in by the full council, so that all 78 councillors can have a transparent vote. He said: “A decision of this magnitude, involving a tax increase in the middle of a cost of living crisis, should be taken by the whole council and not just a selected few.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The consult”ation has been totally ignored and our residents deserve to know where their elected representatives stand and vote on this.”

In a statement, executive member Cllr Graham Lawman said: “We know how valued the garden waste service is, but, however we run the service, there is a considerable cost, whether this is direct or indirect, therefore, one of the main questions is whether it is right that funding comes from general funds only, such as everyone’s council tax – which means that for the quarter of households that have no garden they are paying - or from users of the service only or a combination of both.

“The recent extensive consultation that we ran showed that residents agree that we should harmonise the service and we believe that charging an appropriate, affordable rate to users only across the whole unitary area is the fairest way of running this service – creating the most cost-effective and sustainable solution, whilst supporting our medium-term financial plans.

“This also gives us an opportunity to promote home composting, which is the most efficient and climate friendly option, so please take advantage of our offer here, if you can.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The vote on the issue had been due to take place in July but was withdrawn at the eleventh hour after members of the council’s own executive raised concerns.

A public consultation showed 78.9 per cent of residents did not agree with the introduction of new charges and thought garden waste collection should be funded through council tax.

The issue was then looked at in August by the council’s scrutiny commission – a cross-party group of councillors who take a closer look at controversial or sensitive issues and feed back to other members. Their report stated that they supported a free, year-round collection service for all residents.

Because the decision is to be made by the council’s ten-strong executive, your local councillor may not get a vote on the issue. There are no councillors from Corby on the executive and five are from the former East Northants area.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The report to the Executive, written by council officers, shows that a monthly free service was discounted because of the risk of bins becoming smelly.

It states: “To contribute towards meeting the financial challenge presented by the council’s Medium Term Financial Plan, including the rising costs of inflation, it is recommended to fund the service through subscription charges.

“The recommended option would provide residents with a 12-month service almost entirely funded by subscriptions from those who choose to receive the service. The subscription charge does not cover the full costs of operating the service and, therefore, those who do not use the service would still be contributing to the operating costs through general taxation, albeit to a lesser extent.”

NNC leader Cllr Jason Smithers said last night: “We believe providing a consistent service paid for by those who use it is the fairest way of providing kerbside collections for green waste.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Furthermore, there are still options for those who choose to opt-out making it the best way of providing a unified North Northants service.”

Next Thursday’s meeting takes place at 10am at the Corby Cube and is open to the public.