Council Leader Promises to Maintain Weekly Bin Collections
But Conservatives say "climb down" means twice weekly collections under threat
Hammersmith and Fulham Council Leader Stephen Cowan has moved to reassure local residents that weekly bin collections are here to stay.
Concerns over the future of the service were raised following a recent consultation held by the council on Waste, Street Cleansing and Street Scene.
The consultation stated:
" Hammersmith and Fulham, like other authorities across the country, has to plan significant savings over the next few years, and so there are difficult choices to be made."
And the questions included the importance of kerbside refuse collections, including frequency of collection.
The consultation prompted Cllr Greg Smith, Leader of the Conservative Group on H&F Council to warn residents that weekly bin collections were under threat, saying: "
The local Conservatives are extremely concerned that the council has already made up its mind and will push ahead with plans to reduce bin collections and street cleaning in an attempt to save money."
Cllr Smith also launched a Save Our Bins petition.
This week, however the council said that it has re-affirmed its intention to retain weekly bin collections and prioritise essential services - despite the Chancellor’s announcement that Hammersmith & Fulham will suffer a 30% cut in local government spending over the next four years.
Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Cowan, said: " Clearly at a time when the Government is making such huge cuts, there will be many vested interests who will want to scare-monger about how those cuts might appear. But we reaffirm that we will continue to prioritise key council services, such as bin collections, for our residents while we make sure that we continue to keep council tax low.
" Government cuts in public spending have forced half of all councils up and down the country to reduce the frequency of refuse and recycling collections, but that’s not going to happen here in Hammersmith & Fulham."
Cllr Cowan also takes a stronger line in his blog The Cowan Report, calling the Conservatives' claim " a blatant lie".
Cllr Smith has responded by calling to his announcement "a climb down" and says: " It is obvious that they have u-turned following pressure from Conservative Councillors and thousands of angry residents. Labour now need to issue a clear statement confirming that they will not try to cut weekly bin collections AND maintain twice weekly collections for everyone who currently has them.
"Conservatives believe the frequency of bin collections is a critical issue for residents in an area as densely populated as ours and if anything, they are not frequent enough for many households."
November 13, 2015
November 12, 2015
To report missed collections, or any other street cleaning problem, please go to www.lbhf.gov.uk/reportit.
