Shropshire Council is planning to reduce collections of black waste bins to every three weeks. It may also do the same for the purple recycling bin. Green bins, a paid for service, will remain collected every two weeks.
The council is also consulting on whether people would support increasing council tax above the projected 5% in April. Having spectacularly missed its budget cuts target this financial year and having to empty its reserves to avoid bankruptcy, Shropshire Council is asking whether there would be support for a larger increase. Birmingham, Brighton, Bradford and many other councils are planning increases of 10% or more.
The consultation on next year’s budget ends on Sunday 26 January. I urge everyone to take part.
Shropshire Council expects to end the year 2024/25 around £37.3m over budget. The top estimate of the deficit is nearly twice that and the lowest estimate is only slightly lower. To avoid going broke, the council will need to use almost all of its £38.3m reserves fund to balance its budget. But that will leave just £1.5m in reserves, a level that its chief finance officer has said is not safe.
The council is consulting on two options for higher council taxes. An increase of 4.99%, the maximum allowed without a referendum or government permission and an increase of more than that. It uses the example of an extra 2% rise but it is not consulting on a specific amount. No information has been provided on what services would be protected if a larger increase was imposed or whether the council is considering an even higher increase like many other councils.
Fearing that most people wouldn’t like three weekly bin collections, the council is not asking whether people want to retain the current two weekly collections. It is only offering two options. Collecting black bins every three weeks and purple bins every two weeks (along with the green bin) or collecting both bins every three weeks. If you want to retain the two weekly black bin collection, you may want to strongly oppose the other options and leave comments to that effect in the box provided. Alternatively, you can email TellUs@shropshire.gov.uk.
The consultation closes at midnight Sunday. Take part here.
There is so much fly tipping at the moment ! Which in the end it costs council to clear it up ( no saving there ) I think reducing collections will only make fly tipping worse. As for increasing council tax ! Normal work people on minimum wage are struggling financially every day . We are just living to work !!
Struggling to pay full council tax now as we’re pensioners so no for paying over 5%
Ridiculous three weekly black bins empty there are full in two weeks so we will have rats everywhere. My brother has yellow bags in one bin and that’s full every two weeks as he’s dialysis patient and does it at home sodo they really want them lying about for three weeks
I find it completely ridiculous that these so called intelligent people think it’s a good idea to reduce collections of any waste!!
The is rubbished dumped everywhere already and this is only going to increase it further!!
Silly people need to educate themselves on what we need instead of grabbing more more of our hard earned money for doing less and less.
The inevitable result of this cut will be increased levels of fly tipping!
The monetary cost of clearing up after the fly tippers coupled to the environmental cost is likely to exceed any savings made by reducing collections.
No, I do not accept that a hike of 10% is acceptable, nor would I consider a further deteriation in our bin collection service to be a consideration. It appears to me that the majority of the county’s budget has been spent on the Shrewsbury relief road!
I have tried to fill out the Consulation Document put out by Shropshire Council regarding the change to a 3 week bin collection service. The questions on the form are not open and balanced. The questions are constructed so that by completing the form you indicate that you support the proposed change to 3 weekly collections. This is a blatant misuse of a consultation document. This form should be sent to our MP and the Local Government Minister to illustrate the deplorable conduct of Shropshire Council.