THE vast majority of Gazette readers polled on controversial plans to introduce a charge for collecting garden waste disagree with the move.

Of more than 300 respondents to a Gazette survey on the issue, 85 per cent said they would not be prepared to pay the extra cost.

With Colchester Council considering a possible charge for collecting garden waste, councillors will be thinking back to the last time such plans were floated.

The council could re-introduce the charge as part of a bid to balance its books over the coming year.

The authority’s cabinet is set to examine its budget for the coming year at a meeting on Wednesday.

The budget – which includes a council tax rise of £6.12 – unveiled a range of planned savings.

While the budget is balanced for the coming year, it predicts a budget gap of £801,000 for 2024/25, rising to £2,480,000 by 2027/28.

Plans to charge for garden waste collection were floated by the council in 2020, but scrapped following a backlash.

Speaking at the time, Martin Goss, the council’s waste boss, said: “This decision, whether to charge for garden waste collections, was never going to be easy and I have disliked even having to consider it as an option.”

But the council’s budget report reveals the charge is once again under consideration, with a predicted saving of £200,000 over the coming year and £750,000 in 2024/25.

The report said the budget assumed a 5 per cent take-up of the charge in 2023/24 and a 21 per cent take-up in 2024/25.

It added: “Flytipping of green waste may initially increase.”

The budget report also revealed the council could save £230,000 by developing and introducing a new policy for the provision of “recycling kits”.

The council said faced with a budget deficit, limited government support and £10 million of extra costs, methods of making savings, income generation and transformation of services have to be put in place.

Council leader David King said: “This is the toughest budget options process that we have ever faced, and we are going to have to make some very difficult decisions to deliver a legal and balanced budget.

“Since 2015-16 alone, we have lost a fifth of our purchasing power.

“Like everyone, we are hugely affected by the latest rise in inflation, peaking at around 11 per cent or near four times our 3 per cent increase in council tax.”

Mr King said the council has taken the decisions "needed to ensure the long-term financial stability of the council".

Many Gazette readers reacting to the plans said they felt “they already paid enough”.

Paul Williams said: “Any money generated probably will be spent on policing the policy. It should be built into the council tax bill.

“We’re already getting bags of garden waste left on our road, not sure who's dumping there or why.”

Annaliese Shave responded: “No, we pay more than enough as it is and get limited on what we can put out.

“It already makes it hard for some families, why make more of a financial issue than what we're already in.”

Karen Fowler said: “I would pay nothing then, as they hardly ever take my recycling.

“I’m constantly emailing and phoning them to collect it.”

Some respondents said the charge would be a sensible move, in line with policies in place under nearby authorities.

Ben Pyett said: “Our neighbouring authorities have all been charging for this for a number of years.

“Colchester Council has chosen not to, but currently the council's financial position is far from ideal and valid fair revenue generation sadly needs to be looked at.

“We pay council tax for our waste collection, but have also always had garden waste collected for free as part of this, but garden waste collection isn't a statutory service.”

Juliette Maxam added: “If it’s a choice between cuts to other Colchester Council services like parks, Leisure World, environmental health, economic development, culture, tourism, or paying for green waste collection, I’ll pay for it any day of the week.

“It’s a tremendously useful service, much better than going to the tip and I don’t have room in my garden to compost all of my garden waste myself.”

Many readers who live in Tendring, taking in Harwich and Clacton, highlighted the fact they already pay a charge for garden waste collection.