THE rising cost of living is proving problematic as residents wonder how they will afford to have their garden waste collected.
Colchester Council’s decision to start charging for garden waste collections from January was discussed by its scrutiny panel at a meeting on Wednesday, and several councillors used the meeting to provide a voice to concerned residents.
Berechurch councillor Dave Harris pleaded with the council’s waste boss to consider “parity, equality, and fairness” after being lobbied by residents and even his own family on the issue.
Speaking at the meeting, he said: “A nurse rang me this weekend from The Willows estate who has not got a wheelie bin so she will be charged. She’s on a low income.
“She explained to me it’ll make a big difference to her, but she wants to take her full and proper part in recycling as we all should do. She feels she’s being penalised.
“There will be some people who can afford it and probably wouldn’t notice [the additional cost] but she may well do.”
Stanway councillor Lesley Scott-Boutell shared the story of an elderly gentleman fighting to maintain his independence.
She explained: “He is concerned as he is in receipt of pension credit and with the cost-of-living crisis he’s struggling to cover his increasing costs.
“He couldn’t see how he could afford to pay the additional cost for setting up and collection of his garden waste.
“We discussed the proposed options that had already been looked at for example sharing with his neighbour. He is a proud and independent man and, although very elderly, proactively cares for his garden which plays a huge part in keeping his independence.”
Will Colchester Council's garden waste charges be reduced for benefit recipients?
A council officer suggested the authority’s preference is to offer no discounts to the service however two potential options were put before the scrutiny panel for consideration.
Both would see recipients of local council tax support have their one-off set-up fee waived and benefit from a reduced annual service charge, but the cost would be absorbed by residents who aren’t eligible for reduced council tax.
The scrutiny panel didn’t make any formal recommendations on the matter but panel member Paul Dundas urged waste boss Martin Goss to consider introducing a monthly payment option and to scrap the one-off sign-up fee for all.
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