Green Party dominated Bristol City Council has come under fire for proposing to collect household bins only once a month. The council argues that this policy will save £2.3million and benefit the environment.
However, critics warn it could lead to an increase in fly-tipping. The leader of the Tory group on the council, which consists of seven members, was among those criticising the plans.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance accused the Green council, which would be the first local authority in England to implement such a policy, of prioritising “more interested in virtue-signalling than doing its job” over its duties. Benjamin Elks, grassroots development manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, stated: “Residents shouldn’t have to put up with overflowing bins and filthy streets just because the council is more interested in virtue-signalling than doing its job.
“The Green-run council needs to start delivering the basic services locals expect.”
Prior to last year’s general election, the Tories had intended to enforce a “backstop” requiring councils in England to collect bins at least once a fortnight. However, after the Government scrapped these plans, authorities are now free to pursue less frequent collections
Mark Weston, the leader of Bristol City Council’s Conservative group, has dismissed the council’s new plans as “utter rubbish”. Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “The minimum residents expect from their council is to collect rubbish and they expect that to be regular and on time. If you start taking that away, they have to question what value they are getting from their council tax. The Greens are doing it because they want to have everyone forced to do recycling. I think they’re mad on that.”
The council has launched a consultation on its proposal to reduce collections to once every three weeks or once a month, which will run until March, reports the Mirror. Heather Mack, the deputy leader of the council, stated: “We would … offer larger bins for larger households, and an extra collection for people with sanitary products or nappies.”
Meanwhile, Andrew Brown, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council, voiced concerns about potential increases in fly-tipping, saying: “The concern I hear back is that there could be an increase in fly-tipping. There are hotspots around the city where it’s already an issue.”
