Garden bin £40 collection charge approved by North Northants Council

Residents across North Northamptonshire will be paying the same amount for their ‘green’ garden waste bin collection after harmonisation plans were approved.

Despite almost 80 per cent of residents responding to a consultation saying they didn’t want new charges introduced, North Northants Council’s (NNC) executive members said they had to make the difficult decision to balance the budget.

Green bin collection has previously been free in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough – with a £55 annual charge in East Northamptonshire but now all those who need garden waste collected will be charged an annual £40 subscription starting on April 1 next year.

Speaking against the proposed charge, Cllr John McGhee called the £40 a stealth tax.

He said: “Harmonisation has to happen, but that doesn’t mean we have to put up the prices for everybody. It’s a stealth tax when people are struggling. Let us as a council try to help people.”

Cllr Graham Lawman, executive member for highways, travel and assets, thanked everyone for responding to the consultation but refuted opposition leader Cllr Jean Addison’s claim that giving a discount to East Northants Council area residents a £20 discount was a subsidy.

He said: “I refute that we are subsidising East Northants. We are bringing them into line and offering them a discount in recognition that they have had to pay for two extra years.”

Cllr David Howes said: “It’s an agonising decision. People are struggling and we recognise that. It’s a very difficult decision and it’s very easy to think we are not listening. We are listening but we need to make difficult decisions.”

NNC needs to save £22 million over the next financial year with the harmonisation of garden waste services predicted to bring a £2.01 million ‘benefit’.

Cllr Helen Howell said: “We have to balance the books. We are not going to make a penny – there is still a massive cost to the council. It’s a luxury to have a garden.”

Residents can sign up for a green compostable sack service for £16.50 with garden waste collected in bags for occasional use for those with smaller gardens, as an alternative to the 12-month subscription service.

The new subscription based service will operate all year and be available to all North Northants properties on a pay-in-advance subscription basis.

Each property may subscribe to multiple 240-litre containers which will be collected fortnightly except over Christmas and New Year.

Subscribers to the service can dispose of real Christmas trees through the service when it resumes in January.

Now approved, NNC officers will have to create an administrative centre to help customers with any problems and queries.

Households will be sent home composting information and 1,000 customers will be able to buy a subsidised compost bin at the cost of £5.

To support those in East Northamptonshire who are already paying a subscription charge, NNC will implement the new charge in this area from December 1, 2022 rather than continue to apply the existing charge of £55.