Booking system at tips ‘a hit’ with residents

More than 300,000 people have reserved a slot at West Sussex’s tips since a new booking system wasintroduced–andcouncillors have been told that it has worked so well most users would like to see it retained permanently.

The system was introduced by West Sussex County Council in March after lockdown demand saw queues of traffic clogging up roads around the waste and recycling centres, prompting Sussex Police to ask for some of them to be temporarily closed for safety reasons.

A report to a county council scrutinycommitteesaidapublic consultation was planned to gauge opinion on making things permanent at the six trial sites.

It would also ask for views on introducing the booking system at Burgess Hill Recycling Centre.

Figures presented to the meeting showed that 75 per cent of those who took part in a survey agreed the booking system was excellent or good, with79percentwantingtomake it permanent.

The booking system allows residents to use the recycling centres five times per month.

Carson Albury (Con, Sompting & North Lancing) said: “When I first heard about the restrictions I thought to myself this is a recipe for disaster – but I was totally wrong. It has worked extremely well and all the reports that I’m getting is that everyone is quite happy with it.”

While most have welcomed the system, Francis Oppler (Lib Dem, Bognor Regis East) disagreed and asked for the trial to end. He said his feedback had been that ‘people have resented this trial’ and ‘disliked the restrictions on how many times they can visit’.

But while Bognor residents appeared to have had the most issues with the system – only 56 per cent thought it was excellent or good – 60 per cent wanted to see it retained.

The committee raised three points about the system – the need for same-day booking, the idea of introducing an app to make booking even easier and concerns about fly-tipping.

Gareth Rollings, commissioning and infrastructuremanager,toldthe meeting that same-day booking was being looked at and the idea of an app would also be on the radar once the consultation ended.

After the committee meeting, the decision on when to put the permanent use of the booking system out to public consultation was taken by Deborah Urquhart, cabinet member for environment & climate change. She also hinted atimprovementstotheHorsham and Littlehampton recycling sites, saying information would be brought to the committee in a year or so.