17 October (Part 1) - Rubbish plans
At a two and a quarter hour Scrutiny meeting last night Bexley’s Places
Committee discussed their plans to change the arrangements for refuse collection
and charge for entry to Hall Place gardens. In effect Bexley Council not only
approves of selling parks for housing but is prepared to consider charging to
enter those that are left.
Hall Place is different to some others in the borough in that it includes an
historic house but what next? Is it so very different to Danson Park with yet
another House or Lesnes Abbey park with its 12th century Abbey?
Committee Members adopted mixed views on the latest Bexley Stealth Tax and
agreed to set up a sub-Committee to thrash out the details of the charges. £2
has been suggested for a Standard Garden Ticket with discounts for residents.
Another contentious subject was revised arrangements for refuse collection and
several plans were discussed including one to move the non-recyclable collection
to three week intervals. Such a move would make Bexley the ninth English
Authority to degrade its service to such a level.
That aside, the new proposals were well thought out and a change from wind blown
boxes to two more wheelie bins will probably be widely welcomed by those who
have somewhere to put them. Waste food collection would remain weekly and the
garden waste service will carry on as before.
A more detailed report on who said what will follow in due course but I cannot
see a single spare time slot before next Tuesday. Old ladies, visiting the sick,
traders’ meetings, domestic arrangements; when will it ever end?