THE cost of having garden waste collected could rise by about 40 per cent for some residents due to a cost-cutting scheme by a council facing severe budget pressures.

North Yorkshire County Council is set to cut the £2.2m it pays district and borough councils to process the green waste by about £900,000 as it struggles to fund key services, such as care for vulnerable adults.

A report to the county council’s executive states while the green waste payments to the districts have been instrumental in increasing recycling rates, the £50-a-tonne cost of paying the district authorities to process the garden waste was considerably higher than the £23-a-tonne cost if it dealt with the garden waste.

The difference in cost for last year alone was estimated to be £1.1m.

After presenting garden waste options to borough and district councils, the report to the county authority said “the proposed changes are not welcomed and in one case identified as a retrograde step in delivery of partnership working on waste”.

It added: “Whilst the financial pressures on North Yorkshire County Council are understood as the justification for the changes, it is commented that waste collection authorities are under similar financial pressures and most respondents point out that the proposed changes will have significant financial impacts...”

However, the majority of the borough and district councils have agreed to accept lower funding for the service, “but sufficient to retain a financial incentive for them to continue to separate high quality green waste”.

Harrogate Borough Council has indicated the funding cut will mean a rise of up to

£10 per customer on its £23 annual fee will be necessary, while Ryedale District Council said it would need £9 extra per customer to balance the loss of the funding.

Councillor Yvonne Peacock, leader of Richmondshire District Council, said the authority had decided to let the county council makes its own arrangements for the processing of collected green garden waste to reduce financial uncertainty.

She said the loss of the green waste funding would increase pressures on the district council, but as it had been managed with financial prudence it was able to do what it could to help relieve pressures on its county counterpart.

Cllr Peacock and Councillor Mark Robson, leader of Hambleton District Council, said their authorities would not be among those increasing charges for the collections.

Cllr Robson said the changes would mean £100,000 less income annually for the authority, but he accepted the county authority was facing having to make major cuts.

He said: “It is disappointing and a challenge, but it’s not one I didn’t anticipate coming.

“It won’t alter waste charges and we will not be increasing green waste charges for the next year.

“Since it was introduced 18 months ago the take-up of the service has been very good, with in excess of 50 per cent signing up.”