Local Lib-Dems have this week accused the Conservatives of trying to ‘hoodwink’ local residents over charges for garden waste collections.

Residents are currently receiving their annual bill for the garden waste service, and a few of our readers have written in to question the local authority’s sums. The letter says the price has been frozen at £44, alongside an announcement that the service will no longer be provided for three winter months. This means the price per collection is actually going up by 30%.

Odd Down Councillor, Steve Hedges (Lib-Dem), commented: “B&NES residents are once again being stung with a fee increase, but this time the Tories are trying to use smoke and mirrors to disguise it. They are actually putting the price of the garden waste service up by 30%, if you consider that the number of collections will be reduced.

“This doesn’t make any sense on a practical level. Many people still make good use of the garden waste service in the winter, as this is the time gardeners may be clearing away dead plants and removing fallen leaves.

“It’s all very well to say recycling centres are available free of charge, but why should residents use their own petrol to drive to the tip if they have already paid for the wheelie bin?”

Lib-Dem spokesperson on community services, Councillor Richard Samuel, (Walcot), added: “We argued against this stealth increase in the last budget round. Not only will it be an inconvenience for many, but it may well lead to fewer residents signing up for the garden waste collections, making the service unsustainable in the long-term, whilst additional car journeys will add to congestion and air pollution.”

A spokesperson for B&NES Council told The Journal: “An average of 650 tonnes per month is collected during the peak growing season, whereas this drops to nearer 240 tonnes per month in the winter.

“The garden waste collection vehicles travel up to 1,900 miles each week between them in covering the district on the fortnightly cycle. We had to consider the environmental benefits of continuing to send heavy goods vehicles along all roads within the district with limited gain during the winter.

“In stopping collections for the twelve-week period, when there is significantly less material to collect, we save up to 22,700 miles of unnecessary driving and approximately 20,000 litres of associated fuel, which is a significant environmental benefit.

“Waste can still be taken to our three recycling centres all year round for free.

“As pressure on our services, particularly for children and vulnerable adults, continues to grow, we need to change the way we work to prioritise these areas. Like every other Council, we have no choice but to make the most of our limited resources, which means making savings elsewhere.

“As winter is when the amount of material collected is very low, use of the vehicles is unsustainable as it is inefficient to keep sending five trucks out to collect around a third of the material. Therefore, the Council will no longer be carrying out garden waste collections during the winter months (3rd December – 1st March).”