A BID to lower the cost of garden waste collections for pensioners has been rejected reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
Currently a brown bin garden waste collection service costs Thurrock residents £80 a year.
The bins are collected for 46 weeks of the year but the council has proposed to increase this to 52 weeks at no extra cost to encourage more people to sign up to increase revenue.
Andrew Jefferies, who as former council leader, introduced the paid for service in April, called on the council to give additional help for pensioners.
Speaking at corporate services overview and scrutiny meeting on Tuesday? Where budget savings proposals were put forward, Mr Jefferies, Conservative councillor for Ockendon, said: “I’m pleased the uptake in subscriptions has been high. I wonder if the portfolio holder has given any consideration to giving a discount to pensioners who are struggling to make ends meet by giving them a 50 per cent discount on their brown bin collection.
“I think we’d see an uptake after all it’s mainly older people who live in some of our properties in the borough that have substantial gardens.”
In response, Victoria Holloway, councillor responsible for place and environment, said: “I wish I could. It’s definitely something that I’d instructed officers to look at, not just for pensioners but other communities and groups that we would like to offer discounts to. Personally I would absolutely love to. Unfortunately, with the scale of the savings that need to be made, not just this year but year on year, I really wish I could do that.
“It’s something personally I would want to do but I can’t We are listening to residents as much as we can. That’s why we’re extending the service from 46 weeks to 52 at no additional cost to residents.
“That is a cost to us but it’s a small cost we can absorb. We just can’t absorb the level of cost it would be for a 50 per cent discount.”
Following the meeting Mr Jefferies took to social media to express his “disappointment”.
Thurrock was one of the last councils to introduce a paid for garden waste collection service.
Typical of thurrock council to squeeze all it’s residents to pay for the huge mistake the council made with our money!!! And still nobody is held to account
Thurrock is the dearest local council for garden waste collection. Most of the other councils are about £50 to £60. And they all have money problems, Thurrock isn’t the only one!
Not really surprised , I live in blackshots Lane and don’t even know who my Councillor is. Not heard a word from them, previous Councillor always made sure residents knew how to contact them.
Why should the people of Thurrock pay for the councils mistakes they get enough money and take backhanders from London councils to take there homeless on at the expense of the people of Thurrock
Considering it was free, charging £80 was a fee that a lot of people did not want to pay. It has led to more garden waste being dumped in alleys etc. If it was charged at a more reasonable rate, £1.00 per week/£52.00 per year more people may have signed up. I would have for sure, its only £28, but its how they did.
You can’t even collect them fortnightly appalling service then no one to speak to at council leave form say won’t be collected for a fortnight now and then it’s not collected again. Don’t even have a kitchen waste collection bin!
Won’t subscribe again too much hassle and at a cost of £80 no thank you
You put our council tak up then took the brown bin collection service away then asked us to pay £80 a year to you collect the garden waste !!! I understand that thus council is struggling but most of us are struggling too. What with the cost of living increasing rapidly this was just an insult really
What a cheek coming from a man who brought it in due to there gross negligence
how many paid for the brown bin collection
Have noted that a number of bins are collected without stickers on it would be better for bins without stickers removed altogether