‘Unworkable’ new bin charges are dumped
A treat for fans of live music
‘UNWORKABLE’ charges for replacement bins have officially been scrapped after council chiefs signed off on a new policy.
It will come into force in Rochdale from this week following a decision made at the latest cabinet meeting.
Residents had been paying £20 for new and replacement bins – albeit with some exemptions – under arrangements introduced last November.
But new council leader Neil Emmott – previously the cabinet member responsible for recycling – said he had never liked the policy, claiming it had been imposed on him ‘by a higher power’.
And he told fellow cabinet members it was time to do away with the ‘unworkable’ charges once and for all.
He added: “One of the main principles why people pay council tax, and one service most people see for their council tax, is a refuse collection every week.
“For us to be seen to be charging for part of that service really does go against the grain of all public service, in my opinion.”
Concerns were raised by Coun Daalat Ali about people taking advantage of the new rules, but Coun Emmott said the council could always refuse those who are trying it on.
“I think when people want replacement bins you don’t charge them. But I think we all recognise that there are some people that play the system.
“Fine. If they want a replacement bin and we don’t think they need a replacement bin, we are not going to charge them, we will just say ‘no, you are not having another bin’. “Simple as that.” He added: “But we should not be charging people for bins because there are genuine cases where bins are lost, bins are damaged, bins are sometimes burnt out by people indulging in anti-social behaviour.
“And we cannot, as a council, penalise those people because they are in a situation through no fault of their own.”
People hoarding more wheelie bins than they are entitled to could be dealt with by crews while out on their rounds, he added.
The policy was also welcomed by Coun Daniel Meredith, who said it would stop residents from being ripped off by unlicensed flytippers.
He said: “This is a really good step to make sure people in our borough can get bins when they need them – and not pay these idiots going round with white vans, taking £30 off them and then actually fly-tipping it and the responsibility going back to them (the resident) and they are going through that turmoil.”
The charges introduced in November led to a 42 pc drop in the number of wheelie bins being replaced, with the council noting more residents taking a ‘responsible’ approach to recycling.
But it did not generate anywhere near the amount of cash expected, while remaining deeply unpopular with residents and many councillors.
On the plus side, however, the policy led to a 42 pc drop in the number of requests for replacement bins – with chiefs noting more residents taking a ‘responsible’ approach to waste disposal.
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The council now expects demand to revert to ‘original levels’ (15,750 bins a year) as a result of scrapping the charges, costing the council more money than is currently budgeted for.
It means £165,000 will be transferred from the council’s ‘budget pressure fund’ to offset the removal of bin charges during this financial year. The new policy will come into force when the ‘call-in’ period expires five days after the decision being made.
ORTOA (Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside Organists’ Association) continues its series of recitals at Rochdale Parish Church with a performance by virtuoso, Benjamin Morris, Saturday, September 11 at 3pm.
Benjamin Morris is assistant director of music at York Minster. He was previously Organ Scholar and then Assistant Organist at Jesus College Cambridge, graduating with a double First in Music.
Before starting university, Ben spent a year as Organ Scholar at
Gloucester Cathedral.
He has studied organ with Gordon Stewart, David Briggs, Colin Walsh and Richard Pinel, and harpsichord at the Royal Academy of Music with Terence Charlston.
Ben is a prizewinning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.
An experienced conductor and choir trainer, Ben regularly conducts York Minster Choir.
He will surely put the fine instrument at St Chad’s through its paces with a variety of music by German organ composers Bohm and the incomparable J. S.
Bach; two celebrated American women composers, Florence Price and Amy Beach, and three great British composers in Francis Jackson, Sir Edward Elgar and John Rutter.