Copeland wants your views on changes to bin collections
Last updated at 12:09, Thursday, 09 August 2012
RESIDENTS who might be affected by Copeland’s controversial plans to overhaul its waste collection service are being urged to let the council know their views.
The council has received only seven letters from residents after it announced the major review plans last month, aimed at saving £120,000 from its budget.
Among the planned changes are limiting brown bin collections to one per home, changing the qualifying criteria for families with large bins, and introducing communal collection points for ‘off-route’ properties.
This week, the consultation is widening as a letter and questionnaire are being sent to the 1,500 properties with large bins and the 700 ‘off-route’ homes to gauge their views.
But those with more than one brown bin will not be sent a letter, they are advised to contact the council directly with their views about potentially having their garden waste collection limited.
An email address has been created (wasteconsultation@copeland.gov.uk) for residents to get in touch, while consultation meetings are being held over the coming weeks with the parish councils of Bootle, Gosforth, Irton and Santon, Muncaster and Seascale.
Regarding the policy changes for residents with assisted collections, the council has already met with Copeland Disability Forum, South Copeland Disability Group, Copeland Occupational Social Centre and Age UK. However, individual residents are still urged to make their views known.
A series of drop-in sessions covering all the changes are planned at Egremont Market Hall (August 20), Distington Community Centre (August 28), St Peter’s Church Hall, Kells (August 30), Chapel Hall, Bootle (September 3); all between 4pm and 6pm. A session is also planned for Seascale, with the date and venue yet to be confirmed.
However, concern has been raised among Millom-based councillors that a drop-in session has not been scheduled for their town.
Speaking at a meeting this week, Councillors John Park (Holborn Hill) and Felicity Wilson (Newtown) appealed for an extra session to be added.
Coun Wilson said: “I fear there will be a backlash if people feel that the whole borough has not been covered.”
Coun Keith Hitchen, chairing the meeting, added: “People from Millom will not travel to Bootle for a drop-in session. There is a feeling from people that they think these decisions have already been made; we need to get rid of this misconception and allow everyone to have their say.”
Keith Parker, Copeland’s head of neighbourhoods, said a lack of departmental resources is behind the decision to only hold five drop-in sessions.
“We’d love to hold one in every town but it simply isn’t possible,” he said, but agreed to take the councillors’ concerns back to his department for consideration.
The consultation ends on September 7, and the findings go before the council’s decision-making Executive on October 2.
Visit www.whitehaven-news.co.uk for a full breakdown of what is proposed.
First published at 11:10, Thursday, 09 August 2012
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk
As I live in the last cottage of five on an unadopted road which is at least 200 yards from the nearest very narrow B road, I find these proposals totally unacceptable. There are two disabled people and one gentleman who has angina and suffered a heart attack not to mention his very bad athritis. I myself am over 65 but I'm more concerned about these people who are asked to push a full wheely bin to the end of this road which is so bumpy it's a hazard to small wheeled contraptions. I do feel in this case that it's totally ridiculous and the savings on the pick-up from this place would be minimal.
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Have your say
Why dont they save some money by sacking the useless binmen that wont pick up refuse bags because they say a dog has supposedly "peed" on it, or the ones that throw bags around like its a game of basketball, and then refuse to clean up any spillage? no?
Also if the council are saving some £120k a year on these proposals, I hope we get a cut in our council tax bill because afaik the only thing we get from our council is 2 blue super thin binbags a week and rubbish strewn about the road when the binmen have a "kick about" with the bags.They are paid to do this dirty job (and paid well I might add) so why dont they just get on and do it?
Posted by Paul Smith on 21 September 2012 at 12:33