Green bin charge just weeks away

Controversial fee to plug ‘catastrophic’ deficit

Residents will have to start forking out for their garden waste collection within a matter of weeks, says the city council. The controversial charge will be introduced on July 6 - a month later than expected after the original date was delayed by the Covid-19 crisis.

It is estimated that there 55,000 green bins across the district. Householders will have to fork out £45 a year for a service that runs from March to December, and £35 for any additional bins. The fees have been reduced to £27 and £21 respectively for 2020 given the number of months remaining in the year.

The decision to start charging was taken at the annual budget meeting in February. Until now, Canterbury was the only district council in Kent not to take payment for the service. Garden waste collections are not a ‘statutory duty’ - which means councils are allowed to charge for them.

The authority says the income will be vital in helping to balance the books in the coming years.

It was already facing a £5 million deficit up to 2023/24, which was the financial position the garden waste decision was based on.

But the coronavirus crisis has now left an even bigger hole in the council’s budget. Chairman of the council’s community committee Cllr Neil

Baker said: “The financial position in February was perilous - now it’s not far short of catastrophic. Charging for garden waste collections simply has to happen, even though we know some people do not like it. “We have put off introducing a charge for years, while all the councils around us got on with it. Our residents have enjoyed this universal service as part of their council tax while family and friends in other areas have had to pay an additional fee, but that cannot last any longer. “We can’t be sure exactly how many people will subscribe, but the convenience of having the bin emptied every fortnight may well be the clinching factor when they weigh up what to do in the next few weeks.” Anyone wishing to subscribe to the collection service can do so now via the city council’s website at www.canterbury. gov.uk.

‘Charging for garden waste collections simply has to happen’

Residents will now be charged to throw away garden waste