14 May (Part 2) - Swings and roundabouts
Bexley
council has long shouted from the rooftops about a service which it runs reasonably well, refuse collection.
Thanks to
a convenient quirk of the
arithmetic it has claimed to head the list of successful recyclers and with the
aid of some shaky logic, it claims that residents have saved £3 million pounds a year.
It’s the sort of notional saving that I might claim for drinking tea rather than
whisky - am I really £20 a week better off for avoiding the booze?
It’s a tenuous argument and in any case Bexley council
doesn’t do its sums correctly.
Bromley council jumped on the recycling bandwagon last year and by Autumn
was close to catching Bexley; now, according to their website they have. 52%
recycling (only 51% in Bexley - see their advert) but strangely only £1.5 million a year saving. Maybe they employ
better qualified accountants than Bexley.
Bromley may well be making more modest and honest claims for their service but
in one respect Bexley continues to be hugely better. If you live in
Bromley and want a wheelie bin for compost it will cost you £60 a year, taking
away half their annual council tax advantage. If you don’t have a garden you may
prefer Bromley’s system.