11 June (Part 1) - Browned off
Bexley council issued a Press Release yesterday to say that more than 1,000 residents
had signed up to pay for a service that has until now been provided at no extra charge.
It will need something in the region of 25,000 to sign up if the new service is not to make a loss and
the target is 30% -
close to 30,000. As usual, Bexley council’s words are of the weasel variety. It is not a new service,
it is the old service with a reduction in total capacity, at reduced intervals and at a charge
which approximates to 3% extra (†) on the Bexley component of your council tax.
Keeping garden and food waste separate will reduce processing costs by £444,000
a year. Introducing a charge for doing so is a nice bonus on top.
Meanwhile larger numbers are signing up for something rather different.
Click the image to view or sign the petition.
Some of the comments on there suggest that the
quiet majority who have been uninterested in council affairs beyond having their
bins emptied and the streets lit, are suddenly very interested in council affairs.
Some residents are complaining that there was no consultation on the
introduction of a bin tax. Whether there was or was not is immaterial.
The
decision to charge for waste removal was taken long before the consultation
results became available.
And by the way, the programme of cuts involves turning off some street lights too.
† Dependent on council tax band and any discount available. Poorer houses will suffer the highest percentage increase.