22 April (Part 1) - Bin Tax On Track
There were only two Press Releases from Bexley Council yesterday, one on brown bins and one on the possible removal of
the train services to Charing Cross and Victoria.
Cabinet Member Peter Craske was crowing about the success of the brown bin
scheme as well he might. From his point of view it has gone unbelievably well.
He has imposed a 2·5% Council Tax increase (figure based on my own payments) and
saved the Council £444,000 a year (Council’s own figure) in processing costs by
getting residents to separate food from garden waste. An act, or deception if you
prefer, displaying both financial genius and political cunning.
Having said that, Bexley’s bin tax is definitely on the low side compared to
other Councils. I share my bin with a Bromley resident where the charges are
twice as high for an inferior service. My sister in Hampshire has to pay more than twice as
much as Bexley’s £33 and she had to buy her own bin.
Count yourself relatively lucky. Councillor Peter Craske is a devious manipulator.
Press Release.
Council’s web page.
The other Press Release
was about the political
protest against the plan to cut Bexleyheath off from Victoria
and Charing Cross railway stations. Slightly erratic behaviour from a Council
that has spent years making sure the borough is cut off by road from East London.
There is no equivalent Council organised protest against the loss of Charing
Cross services from Slade Green, Erith, Belvedere and Abbey Wood, just a simple written objection.
In the Conservative’s own party announcement they forgot to mention that Labour
MP Teresa Pearce was at Bexleyheath station too but her party had been
campaigning about the issue three days earlier (Photo 2). No Tories helping out.
Unfortunately Labour locally do not have a web based propaganda machine.