Why does council make it hard to get rid of rubbish?

They do have to drag many, many heavy bins to the van all day every day, five days a week in all weathers, before the vans actually lift them. People should do the job for a full day in all weathers before assuming from your armchairs that it’s an easy task to do. Yes, they are doing a job that they are paid to do, but that’s no excuse for no medical appointments allowed or holidays - that’s just wrong. The Dalai Lama, Dame Mary Peters, former Olympic pentathlon champion, George W Bush former US president, Sylvester Stallone, actor, Geraldine James, actress, Geoffrey Rush, actor, Jennifer Saunders, actress/comedian cent, rapper, Kate Nash, singer-songwriter, WHILE out cycling the other day I was struck by what a lovely place we live in.

Now this is despite the best efforts of Kirklees Council which seems determined to put housing estates everywhere.

Lately, however, I have noticed increasing piles of refuse dumped beside walls and roadsides; wardrobes, sofas, chairs, beds, toilet bowls, sinks and old plaster board.

I usually phone the council when I return and they promise to send a team to shift it. To be fair, they do eventually get round to doing it.

Recently, the council announced a new policy and increased charges for the collection of bulky items from households.

I am sure we all moaned a little but most of us accepted it. Then it was announced that rubble could no longer be dumped at the council tip. Guess what? There is now an increase in the dumping of old tiles etc.

Why is Kirklees Council making it difficult for households to get rid of rubbish properly? Surely it costs more to send out teams to clear up roadside fly tipping! It really is no surprise that Kirklees languishes near the bottom of the recycling league table while Calderdale is near the top.

Now we are told that bins will not be emptied and the tips will be closed.

How can it be right that a department is so understaffed that the workmen can’t take holidays?

I think the department heads and negotiators, PRs and facilitators in Cleansing should actually man the wagons for a week or so. They could also add the councillor who is supposedly responsible as well. WE have been asked to make clear that when the Almondbury ward councillors were invited to a meeting recently to discuss the future of library services in the ward it was merely to review the options available.

No decision was made, nothing being ruled either out or in.

There is a group that volunteers to work with the one paid worker in the Carnegie library in Almondbury.

Any decision on the future of that building would have to take account of the views of the committee of the Almondbury Library Friends Association and the individual volunteers who keep that library service operating.

Whatever happens, we hope that any decision made on the future of the Almondbury library will be on the basis that it will be in the best interests of all local residents.

The Carnegie library building in Almondbury is already proving to be a venue capable of bringing together many different people so that council workers and voluntary groups can deliver services to the community in one hub and this must be carefully considered in any plans going forward.