| |
‘Rubbish will be overflowing on the streets’
Anger at plans to slash refuse budget
CUTS to the refuse collection budget could cause an environmental catastrophe, with overflowing bins and streets full of rubbish, according to opposition leaders in Westminster.
Environmental chiefs are planning to slash £800,000 from the £35.3million a year refuse budget in a move that has provoked outrage from the Labour group who point to the council’s already mediocre recycling performance.
Labour MP for Regent’s Park and Kensington North, Karen Buck, has also joined the rallying cry, accusing the council of misleading the public by championing their green credentials while making stealth cuts.
The council has defended the proposals, assuring residents that the reductions will not have an adverse effect on services.
Out of 34 local authorities in London, Westminster is ranked 28th, managing to recycle just 21 per cent of all household rubbish.
The Labour group says the cuts will hit residents leading to either a reduced number of collections or a concentration of services in the West End at the expense of more deprived parts of the borough.
Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, leader of the Labour group, said: “The Conservatives are planning massive cuts in Westminster’s refuse collection, street cleaning and recycling services. The result will be more rubbish on the streets, overflowing rubbish bins and less recycling.
“This is the price of the Conservatives’ political obsession with a low council tax. Yet, at the same time, the Conservatives are lavishing over £13million of government money on re-paving Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street for shoppers and tourists.”
Ms Buck echoed the concerns of Mr Dimoldenberg, claiming that the council was guilty of hypocrisy.
She said: “Westminster Council presents itself as the best and most green council in the country and yet, when its recycling performance is pretty mediocre it makes cuts.”
The next waste and recycling contract for Westminster Council with Veolia – the current contractors – will begin in 2010 and will cost £34.5million, a reduction of £796,000 on the current deal. The service operates continuously 365 days a year, cleaning around 170,000km of footways and collecting 193,000 tonnes of waste.
Councillor Danny Chalkley, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “We have a good track record for delivering more services for less money so it is true we are reducing the budget for our next waste and recycling contract by 2 per cent because we are confident we can still deliver improved services.
“New technology such as the use of global positioning systems on our rubbish trucks is helping us drive up speed and efficiency, which results in financial savings.”
A consultation on the cuts has been launched.
Visit www.westminster.gov.uk/wasteconsultation2010 |
 |
|
| |
| |
