Council cleans up after charging £100 a year for garden waste bins

RESIDENTS of the Isle of Wight are now being billed more than £100 a year for garden waste bins under the highest charges in the country.

The island’s local authority has increased its annual subscription for the fortnightly service by 6.25pc, taking the fee from £96 to a “shockingly expensive” £102.

It is thought to be the highest fee in the country charged by a council to collect plant trimmings from the kerbside.

Despite the hefty fee, coalition-run Isle of Wight council said the service was “excellent value for money”.

Elsewhere, councils typically charge between £40 and £60 for the service, but others do it at no cost.

Joanna Marchong, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “This council has increased the cost of garden waste collection to the highest in Britain, burdening taxpayers during a financially stressful time. Councils should be delivering these services as cheaply as possible rather than raising backdoor taxes.”

The increase was brought into force at the turn of the year without being discussed at cabinet. It was instead made via delegated powers and will be ratified at a budget meeting next month.

A council spokesman said: “While we try to keep costs as low as possible, there are a range of costs that are subject to inflation, such as staff pay, fuel, vehicle maintenance, gate fees etc.”

Phil Jordan, the council leader, argued that residents were not obliged to pay for the extra service.

“It is discretionary, it’s not an obligation,” he said. “If you’re a unitary authority like us, you have to deliver extra services like adult social care – other councils don’t have to do that.

“Last year we received the lowest funding percentage increase along with Thurrock of any local authority in the country. We are £400,000 a year worse off than we estimated.”

Councils across the country have warned the Prime Minister of a surge in financial crises, with four in 10 at risk of going bust over the next five years. Six authorities have issued section 114 notices in the past three years, effectively declaring themselves bankrupt. The most recent were Birmingham city council and Nottingham city council.

Half of council leaders are also not confident they will have enough funding to fulfil their legal duties in 2024-25.

Council papers show 10,361 residents currently subscribe to the service. On the Isle of Wight, more than a third of the population is over 65 years old.

Sue Birch, chairman of Brading Residents Association, said the increase was a “further financial burden” for the older generation to contend with.

“The charges are disproportionate,” she said. “Elderly members say that it is far too expensive when compared to other councils in the country.”