£250m for weekly bin collections not enough, says council chief (From The Northern Echo)
Send us your pictures, video, news and views by texting NORTHERN ECHO to 80360 or email us
£250m for weekly bin collections not enough, says council chief
8:50am Saturday 4th February 2012 in Newton Aycliffe News
A GOVERNMENT fund of £250m will not be enough to restore weekly bin collections, the leader of the North-East’s biggest council has said.
Tory Communities Secretary Eric Pickles yesterday pledged £250m to help more than 70 councils end unpopular fortnightly collections.
Councils will be able to apply for cash to restore weekly services – and to reward residents for recycling.
Mr Pickles said: “Labour’s barmy bin rules have made putting your rubbish out more complicated than solving a Rubik’s cube.
“The public are fed up of all the bin dos and don'ts – they just want a simple service, which is why the Government is making sure councils offer a good weekly collection and make it easier to go green.
“We’ve called time on the town hall Talibin and have ditched Labour’s policies of bin cuts, bin fines and bin taxes in the dustbin of history.”
“We’ve called time on the town hall Talibin and have ditched Labour’s policies of bin cuts, bin fines and bin taxes in the dustbin of history.”
Eric Pickles
More than half of English authorities now collect rubbish on a fortnightly basis.
Simon Henig, Labour leader of Durham County Council, delivered its first new “twin bins” on Wednesday, ahead of a wholesale switch to fortnightly collections by the summer.
He said his council would look carefully at the new scheme, but added: “The total amount available [up to £5m per council] is going to fall short of the savings that we’re likely to make under the new system [up to £12m by 2017].
“If the Government really wants to encourage councils to reverse the trend, it needs to look at landfill tax.”
Landfill tax is set to rise by £8 a tonne every year from April, costing Durham £1.1m extra in 2012-13 alone.
Hilary Benn, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, said local people were best placed to decide how rubbish should be collected – not Mr Pickles, sitting behind his desk in Whitehall.
The £250m could be better spent on saving Sure Start centres or caring for elderly people, Mr Benn added.
Darlington Borough Council collects rubbish weekly and recycling fortnightly.
A spokeswoman said the authority was examining the proposals and criteria and would then decide whether to apply for funding.
Stockton Borough Council also collects rubbish weekly and recycling fortnightly.
Gateshead Council is to introduce fortnightly collections next month.
Comments(25)
GeordieB
says...
11:07am Sat 4 Feb 12
It is not so much dependent on how much is in your bin, but in warmer weather, the decomposition of that waste.
As far as I can tell, nobody supports a 2 weekly collection in my area, apart from the sheep with red jumpers at County Hall.
Birdyy
says...
12:01pm Sat 4 Feb 12
Driving round Durham you might think no one uses theirs bins anyway.
robbiejay
says...
4:33pm Sat 4 Feb 12
omgdurham
says...
5:10pm Sat 4 Feb 12
Steeleye
says...
6:20pm Sat 4 Feb 12
the-big-yin
says...
6:23pm Sat 4 Feb 12
.
ONLY JOKING!!!!!!
harry2
says...
7:45pm Sat 4 Feb 12
And they need to take tins and cans in recycling.
Also we have to either keep the green box in the hallway which isn't very nice if we put it in the yard then we have to carry it through the house because they only pick up on the front, we used to do this but when it was wet we had water everywhere
So before by weekly collections if darlington was to consider it they need to make recycling easier.
spragger
says...
8:13pm Sat 4 Feb 12
I can understand that for the Council £250m is NOT enough.
You have to pay the chief execs exorbitant salary, his bonus, his gold plated pension. Councillors expenses. Climate change, diversity, european & political officers.
A huge, expensive HQ.
Car allowances, loans & charge cards.
The little guy has a truck and a legal disposal route.
Councils are well past their sell by date.
Jolly Roger
says...
10:20pm Sat 4 Feb 12
When the wagon came along all these things went into different compartments of the wagon.
Now it seems that bottles are to be put into the green box and all other things into the new bin we are getting not sorted.
So my question is who is sorting the stuff now, and is it been sorted or is it going into landfill??
Come on keep us informed, and also who is getting the cash though the stuff we are recyccling and saving the council landfill cost.
I have always recycled what I can but still want a weekly collection.
smokin
says...
10:52pm Sat 4 Feb 12
the bin men refused to pick it up as they said and I quote"can't take that mrs 'cos it might have hyperdermic needles in it as we can't see whats in the sack" I'm not in the habit of using hypo's and have no intention of buying clear plastic bags for the council to take away I pay enough council tax so they can provide them oh sorry they can't do that as they need my tax for their pensions well sorry dcc I need my pension to live off
provide the correct bags and I will go back to recycling and if it stinks as it will in the summer expect earache from your tax payers
caberwocky1
says...
10:23am Sun 5 Feb 12
Recycle
Campaign against the Govt who are going to rash the north and yet save the bankers.
harry2
says...
11:31am Sun 5 Feb 12
Then recycle the goverment, this country is going to the bins
smokin
says...
3:16pm Sun 5 Feb 12
robbiejay
says...
4:44pm Sun 5 Feb 12
bingbong
says...
8:10pm Sun 5 Feb 12
.
I also assume that Mean D (sorry, Dean M!) and smokin never went to school (and neither did any of their children, if they have any), as Schools are run by the Local Council. I also assume they never go and do their shopping at Tesco (or any other local shop/supermarket) as the Local Councils inspect and regulate them too (through Environmental Health and Trading Standards). I also assume they've never been to their local pub, as the Local Council also inspect, regulate and issue their licence. I also assume they've never used a taxi, as the Local Council regulate and issue taxi licences. I also assume they never drive anywhere, or walk anywhere as the Local Council maintain the roads, street lights, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, pavements, cycle lanes etc etc.
.
I could go on with literally hundreds more examples, but I suspect it falls on deaf ears for those who think the Local Council just empty the bins.
.
Yes, Council Tax is quite a lot, but I personally think you get far more than the money that you pay in. If all Council services were "pay as you go" (and don't forget the Council Tax inlcudes an element for the Police and Fire Brigade as robbiejay points out), I'm sure you'd end up paying far more than the £1200 or so a year!
jordanc93
says...
6:15am Mon 6 Feb 12
bingbong wrote:You are wrong abouts schools as a large amount of them are being converted to academy status in County Durham, which free's them from the local councils control. It also means that the council doesn't get money to support that school anymore, instead that money goes direct to the school. This means schools are free to find cheaper support service than what the council were using the money for. This is the main point of a school converting the fact that they will get the support funding that was given to the council and will be free to run the school the way they want without the council interfering.
Indeed robbiejay.
.
I also assume that Mean D (sorry, Dean M!) and smokin never went to school (and neither did any of their children, if they have any), as Schools are run by the Local Council. I also assume they never go and do their shopping at Tesco (or any other local shop/supermarket) as the Local Councils inspect and regulate them too (through Environmental Health and Trading Standards). I also assume they've never been to their local pub, as the Local Council also inspect, regulate and issue their licence. I also assume they've never used a taxi, as the Local Council regulate and issue taxi licences. I also assume they never drive anywhere, or walk anywhere as the Local Council maintain the roads, street lights, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, pavements, cycle lanes etc etc.
.
I could go on with literally hundreds more examples, but I suspect it falls on deaf ears for those who think the Local Council just empty the bins.
.
Yes, Council Tax is quite a lot, but I personally think you get far more than the money that you pay in. If all Council services were "pay as you go" (and don't forget the Council Tax inlcudes an element for the Police and Fire Brigade as robbiejay points out), I'm sure you'd end up paying far more than the £1200 or so a year!
rescaaffering oldey
says...
10:07am Mon 6 Feb 12
It cant work unless you agree to keep the population numbers down instead of increasing it year by year..
itchard
says...
1:33pm Mon 6 Feb 12
camboy26
says...
9:43am Tue 7 Feb 12
Think about it!
the-big-yin
says...
12:56pm Tue 7 Feb 12
house fly
says...
2:04pm Tue 7 Feb 12
spragger
says...
6:47pm Tue 7 Feb 12
bingbong wrote:Absolute rubbish. Most people who pay have to cover the cost of those on benefits & who have and don't pay tax. For your own family, you have to pay for another who won't, or can't work.
Indeed robbiejay.
.
I also assume that Mean D (sorry, Dean M!) and smokin never went to school (and neither did any of their children, if they have any), as Schools are run by the Local Council. I also assume they never go and do their shopping at Tesco (or any other local shop/supermarket) as the Local Councils inspect and regulate them too (through Environmental Health and Trading Standards). I also assume they've never been to their local pub, as the Local Council also inspect, regulate and issue their licence. I also assume they've never used a taxi, as the Local Council regulate and issue taxi licences. I also assume they never drive anywhere, or walk anywhere as the Local Council maintain the roads, street lights, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, pavements, cycle lanes etc etc.
.
I could go on with literally hundreds more examples, but I suspect it falls on deaf ears for those who think the Local Council just empty the bins.
.
Yes, Council Tax is quite a lot, but I personally think you get far more than the money that you pay in. If all Council services were "pay as you go" (and don't forget the Council Tax inlcudes an element for the Police and Fire Brigade as robbiejay points out), I'm sure you'd end up paying far more than the £1200 or so a year!
Lets try PAYG and see how the Council gets on.
We all know it would not last long.
omgdurham
says...
8:18pm Wed 8 Feb 12
gov.uk/channelsPorta
lWebApp/channelsPort
alWebApp.portal?_nfp
b=true&_pageLabel=pa
geVAT_ShowContent&id
=HMCE_CL_000509&prop
ertyType=document#P1
43_15433
Steeleye
says...
6:44pm Thu 9 Feb 12
camboy26 wrote:I live in the old Derwentside area of Durham that has had this system that they are intropducing to the rest of Durham for the last 7 years. I have got to say that this smelly waste that will attract rats thing is a myth. Food waste goes into my kitchen bin that I have a bin liner in. When it is emptied, I tie off the bag, drop it in to the bin and close the lid. Very hygienic, no smell, no rats. We can recycle that much in the 2nd bin and box (glass, tins, paper, cardboard, plastic bottles etc) that my normal refuse bin is frequently less than 3/4 full when I put it out once a fortnight.
DCC should put a notice on our bins stating that if they are full or smelly before the collection date then we should take them to the nearest council office and deposit the contents on their neatly manicured lawns and gardens,which is the same as will happen in the streets.
Think about it!
caberwocky1 says...
10:16am Sat 4 Feb 12