Stockport Council Faces Tough Choice on £59 Garden Waste Charge Amid Backlash
Stockport Council is pushing forward with a £59 garden waste charge despite strong opposition from residents concerned about the impact.
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Stockport: The council is moving ahead with a £59 fee for garden waste collection, even though many residents are not happy about it.
Deputy leader Mark Roberts mentioned at a town hall meeting that tough choices are necessary to manage the budget, which needs to save £25 million this year.
Under the new plan, households can pay £59 annually for weekly garden waste collection, with a discount to £39 for those on council tax support.
While food waste collection will remain free, blue bin collections for recycling might change to every four weeks instead of every two weeks. If you need a bigger blue bin, you can pay £15 for an upgrade.
If residents don’t want to pay the charge, they can buy a compost bin for £10 to £20 to handle their garden waste themselves.
The council acknowledges that this plan is controversial.
With around 97,000 homes having green bins, they expect over 40% will opt to pay for the garden waste service. If approved next month, this could save the council about £2 million.
However, many residents have voiced their concerns, with over 8,000 participating in a consultation. Some worry this charge might lead to more fly-tipping, but the council claims there’s no evidence to support that concern.
Mark Roberts emphasized the need to move forward with the charge due to financial pressures. He said making cuts is never easy.
He added that many councils are facing similar issues and have already implemented such charges. This move aims to protect essential services like libraries and support for vulnerable community members.
Currently, garden and food waste is collected for free every week, but under the new plan, residents would need to buy a permit for garden waste collection.
Those who purchase the permit can mix garden and food waste in one bin or use separate bins. If they don’t buy a permit, they’ll have to find a way to dispose of their garden waste themselves.
Blue bins would be collected every four weeks, while black and brown bin collections would remain unchanged.
Stockport spends a significant portion of its budget on social care and children’s services, which is a growing concern for many councils as demand increases.
More savings will be needed in the future, with Stockport facing a £60 million shortfall by 2028/29.