Dear Editor,
With the news of the reduction in hours of the recycling centres at Midsomer Norton and Bath this has led me to question what do we pay council tax for?
For the vast majority of B&NES residents rubbish collection and disposal is the main form of interaction they may have with their local authority along with highways and street lighting. They can see something tangible they pay for.
Of course, this has implications for Saltford, as any reduction in hours will be taken up at the regional tip at Pixash Lane, which according to a B&NES Officer has ‘plenty of spare capacity’. So, more cars from all over B&NES along with all the recycling trucks and bin wagons trundling along the over capacity A4.
Waste always seems to be the first port of call when it comes to budget cuts, be it reducing collections down to fortnightly, wage freezes for staff and limiting the amount of waste an individual can drop off.
We then see B&NES has committed to purchasing several electric recycling trucks at a phenomenal cost. These trucks have been trialled by other councils in the country and been found not fit for purpose. They are badly affected by cold weather, reducing the range on a charge by up to 40%. There is no guarantee of longevity, with a reputation for breakdowns and long waits for spare parts. They will be worthless in a few years and as for the outright nonsense of ‘they will be charged by the solar panels on the roof’ at Pixash Lane well this has to be challenged. The excess electricity generated by solar gets fed back into the grid and a reduced bill is calculated. The enormous batteries on the trucks are rated around 250-300Kw/h and peak capacity of the solar array is around 750Kw/h. So, two and a half trucks at the height of summer compared to long, dark winter days when as little as 8% efficiency is achieved.
Let’s not forget the £50 million price tag of the Pixash Lane tip and the glaring omission of a rail siding at the site, whilst the original equipment at Westmoreland Rd for rail transfer of rubbish to Avonmouth is rusting away. The rail siding would reduce the amount of trucks leaving the site considerably and benefit residents who have had this facility imposed on them.
We, as council taxpayers have been badly let down by this expensive and poorly thought-out waste strategy.
Yours,
Chris
Cllr Chris Warren
Independent Councillor, Saltford
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Absolutely shocking.
Its false economy to reduce the opening hours as this will encourage more fly tipping which will cost even more to clear.
Most households work very long hours now and can only use the tip on weekends.
Chris anyting that makes sense is simply blown out the water by the Lib Dems they are only in it to make Bath great & the other areas suffer due to their beliefs. Wish they would listen but they wont as they dont need to. Wish you well anyway my friend.