Richmondshire residents are to be charged an extra £21 for green waste collections — but they will get a bigger bin!
The changes are part of North Yorkshire Council’s efforts to harmonise services across the county.
For the 2024/05 year, the charge for garden waste collections will be £46.50.
Currently, Richmondshire residents pay £25.50.
However, the district’s households who sign up to the service will have their smaller 140-litre wheeled bin replaced with the 240-litre bins provided for garden waste in the other areas of the county.
A report to a meeting of the council’s environment executive members meeting on Monday states the proposed garden waste subscription charge for 2024/25 would be £46.50 – a 6.9 per cent rise for most areas although a £21 for residents of Richmondshire.
Charges for the often fortnightly roadside collections had been frozen for several years for most district and borough authorities and earlier this year council officers said the average cost in Yorkshire and Humber region for garden waste was around £44.
When challenged over the charges, the authority has emphasised the collections are a non-statutory service, and that it is not considered fair “for people who do not use the service to have to subsidise it”.
The officers’ report states it is expected that full harmonisation of subscribing to the garden waste service across the county will take place from 2025.
It adds the total number of garden waste licences bought in 2023/24 is forecast to be 126,750, generating an annual income of £4.996m, which is £302,000 above the income forecast for the year.
The report states the extra income is due to Selby district area achieving “an impressive participation rate” of 43 per cent since introducing charges in July with total subscriptions at 18,500, compared to the target of 6,900.
The council has previously warned of potential to lose some subscribers as a result of its increase in charges.
Nevertheless, the report to the meeting states there has been no impact on the level of subscriptions as a result of harmonising the garden waste subscription charge in any of the former district and boroughs which already charged for the service.
The report states: “If people choose not to subscribe to the garden waste collection service, experience from other authorities shows that residents tend to compost at home instead as there is no corresponding rise in residual waste tonnages to match the reduction in garden waste tonnages, therefore there is little impact on the environment.”
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I do not use the public library or subsidises for bus services so do I get a discount in my rates, I doubt it.
We only use the small garden waste bin about four times each year as we have no natural grass and have no need for a larger bin.
Nothing harmonious here, just the start of things to come to fill the £30 million pound black hole, and rising,this Behemoth of a Council created, What next on the ‘Harmonious’ Revenue Stream for Richmondshire Residents?
What will happen to the old bins?
Will it be an all year round collection once the new charges are introduced ?
I’m in the Hambleton area and it stinks we like Richmondshire seem to do all the work for the bins, we sort out the recycling for them put the bins out on the kerbside so they don’t have to walk too far to empty them we get charged a ridiculous amount to fill their green bins so they can make compost and sell it on! I suggest that those who only have a small amount of use for a green bin is to do what many do and share the use of one with your neighbour at least that way it takes the sting out of the cost, that’s what I do with my neighbour .
On the 18th October there was an article stating that North Yorkshire councillors were to get an increase in their allowances. The following day there was another article stating that North Yorkshire Council have to “plug” a black hole of £25 million. Today they announce an increase of approximately 82% to charge for the garden waste bin in Richmondshire. Now we know how they are partly funding these. Perhaps this council wouldn’t have been in such a financial mess had they not paid off huge amounts to previous leaders. It would be lovely for us to get a 82% increase in pensions but sadly we won’t so we certainly won’t be subscribing in 2024/2025.
At a time of decreasing services at increased costs yet again this government’s idea of getting rid of ” local ” councils making local decisions goes out of the window. £73 million in income last year from councils charging for a bin collection ” service ” shows that those in real need of this collection service will not be able to afford it. 85% increased is daylight robbery with no recourse to complain £25.50 to £41 ?????
No suggestion of letting us keep the smaller bins at the current rates then?
They’re having a laugh.
As a small garden owner which I would think relates to a larger percentage of home owners in Richmond why do we need a larger green bin as we have managed with the smaller size for so many years
I presume that this will clear the council’s conscious of a 84% rise in charges
A clear sign that the new Unitarian Council does not care about the people and the current financial pressure that they are under