Garthdee Controlled Parking Zone update
Ian Yuill
Liberal Democrat councillor for Mannofield, Airyhall, Braeside, Broomhill, Garthdee, Kaimhill and Ruthrieston Learn more
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Garthdee Controlled Parking Zone update
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March Garthdee Police report
Garden Tax outrage prompts council statement
by Ian Yuill on 8 March, 2019
I have been contacted by many people angry at the council’s decision to impose a £30 Garden Tax to collect garden waste from people’s brown bins.
Conservative, Labour and Independent councillors voted to impose the £30 Garden Tax. SNP councillors wanted the Garden theTax to be even higher at £35.
My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I oppose the Garden Tax. We believe green waste collections should be paid for from the council tax.
The council has now issued this statement about the Garden Tax:
“At the budget meeting on 5 March, the Council approved a proposal to introduce a fee of £30 per year for the uplift of garden waste. The details have not yet been agreed and there is some work to be done before the charge can be implemented. We expect that the charge will be implemented later this year. At present, we can tell you that:
“You will only need to pay the charge if you choose to use the garden waste service. It will not be added to your Council Tax.
“You will not have to pay the charge if you only use your brown bin for food waste. We are required to provide a free food waste collection and that will continue.
“If you do not wish to pay the charge, you can compost your garden waste at home or you will still be able to take it to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre, free of charge.
“We will provide more information about how and when the charge will be implemented as soon as we can. We will take the opportunity to learn from other Councils who have successfully implemented a charge for garden waste.”
2 Comments
This charge is ludicrous. This should be part of the council tax. Every effort should be made to recycle more and more as part of the regular collection services. Old people cannot be expected to trail all their garden and food waste to a recycling centre. Some would not be able and might not be able to pay an additional charge. In some households this will mean that they will either dump foodwaste anywhere they can or leave it in communal bins elsewhere. I think this is a complete backward step by the council. The whole idea of a separate charge is going to be an admin nightmare. Are the refuse collectors going to be given a list of addresses that have paid? What’s to stop a neighbour who has chosen not to pay, use someone else’s bin already out for collection? The whole practicality of this scheme is ridiculous! I can foresee many, many problems with this stupid idea. Council services should be paid for completely from one charge, ie the council tax. Whoever suggested a separate charge for this service should be ashamed of themselves.
I’m sure Robert Dalgarno has expressed the feelings of every reader is who enjoys gardening. Whichever Councillor suggested such a crazy charge can’t have a garden to care for. What about the gardeners who don’t have transport? Picture them wheeling their brown bins or carrying bags of garden waste to the recycling centres….it would be laughable if it weren’t so serious. Council must think again.