New bin charges to be put to York residents (From York Press)
Get in touch: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting YORK to 80360 or send an email»
New bin charges to be put to York residents
8:10am Tuesday 5th February 2013 in News
By Mark Stead, Political Reporter
New green bin charges to be put to York residents
RESIDENTS in York face having to pay for green waste collections and replacement bins, under plans drawn up by council leaders.
Opening hours at Towthorpe waste centre could also be cut, following on from the closure last May of the Beckfield Lane centre.
City of York Council’s cabinet is expected to launch a public consultation over waste and recycling as it aims to save about £580,000 over the next two years.
Options are likely to include:
• Charging for garden waste collections, either year-round or between March and November
• An annual fee for additional garden bins or for swapping them for home composters
• Suspending winter garden waste collections
• Introducing a food waste collection alongside the garden waste service
• Looking at outsourcing collections to social enterprises or community groups.
The council refused to say how much the charges for garden waste could be, when asked by The Press.
Residents may also be asked for their views on reducing opening hours at Towthorpe waste recycling centre with the options of closing it on a weekday all year round, closing it completely between October and March or only opening it on weekends during this time.
As part of its budget proposals for the next two years, the council plans to charge non-residents £10 to use the city’s waste and recycling sites and to introduce fees for brick, rubble, bonded asbestos and plasterboard.
The council would not say how much the charges could be, although potential fees will be outlined in any consultation.
Coun David Levene, cabinet member for environmental services, said: “We are committed to providing the best possible service and recognise to achieve this we need to listen closely to the views of residents.
“However, we need to be honest with the public, and given the challenging financial situation facing the council, a review of all services is essential.”
The consultation would include phone interviews with 500 residents, an online survey and face-to-face sessions with those using the Towthorpe site, with results and recommendations going before the cabinet in spring.
Comments(66)
SaywhatIthink
says...
7:43pm Mon 4 Feb 13
JHardacre
says...
7:45pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Come on CYC, I'm sure you can do better than just taxing green waste.
JC42
says...
7:49pm Mon 4 Feb 13
yorkie71
says...
7:50pm Mon 4 Feb 13
tizme
says...
8:35pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Candy Cupcake
says...
8:45pm Mon 4 Feb 13
1. They delivered the wrong 2012/13 collection card out.
2. A week latter they sent the correct one with a letter of a apology.
3. First collection in the new year was not collected, so they had to send a wagon out two days later to collect.
4. Second collection was not collected, established yes we did have the right card and it corresponded with the website, so another wagon sent out 2 days later to collect.
5. Week 3, rubbish still not collected, reaffirmed that the card was correct and the website was also correct, wagon sent out to collect the rubbish.
6. Week 4, as before.
7. Week 5, rubbish not collected, established that we had been given the wrong card, the website was altered to reflect the error, no refuge collection at all, no apology given, just the correct card stuffed in an envelope and posted.
Seriously if this was the private sector questions would have been asked after week 2, if it had reached week 5, then disciplinary action would be taken... Cost of this error, 4 x refuse wagons returned to collect 4 x house hold waste, not too mention time on the phone, emails and sheer frustration... What an absolute waste of money and resources.... Maybe we should be looking too privatise some of the services, or at least get some decent business managers in who are aware of costs!
Hoofarted
says...
8:58pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Central Government have capped councils from spending. This then forces councils to either slip into debt or cut to balance the budget.
Now which do you want folks;
The old services unaffected?
The Uncomfortable cuts to afford the limited money?
Or another Government that doesn't play politics with council tax spending and funds them properly?
It's far too easy to blame it on the administrations forced to juggle with these ideological games.
Paul2012
says...
9:09pm Mon 4 Feb 13
The the local council need to to learn to spend there budgets correctly, the current situation has the budgets for each sector in the hands of council staff who are no more than at entry level jobs.
This leaves slack areas of wasted budget due to not being able plan their budgets effectively and panicking to spend the rest at the back end of the year.
The budget need to be in the hands of people who know how to plan the yearly budget and not be on a adhoc basis.
These issue leave a big gap that the public have to fill, as for DN1 do even get me started.
yorkmax
says...
9:09pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Scarlet Pimpernel
says...
9:29pm Mon 4 Feb 13
It will be a stitch-up.
yorkie0802
says...
9:31pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Scarlet Pimpernel
says...
9:37pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Hoofarted wrote:It's easier for Labour stooges like this merchant, to blame it on the government, whilst this council play fast and loose, wasting millions.on non-essential vanity projects.
Short sightedness appears prominent.
Central Government have capped councils from spending. This then forces councils to either slip into debt or cut to balance the budget.
Now which do you want folks;
The old services unaffected?
The Uncomfortable cuts to afford the limited money?
Or another Government that doesn't play politics with council tax spending and funds them properly?
It's far too easy to blame it on the administrations forced to juggle with these ideological games.
This is political gameplaying by Labour - everyone can see that, apart from Hoofarted, who talks out of his a**e !
Scarlet Pimpernel
says...
9:39pm Mon 4 Feb 13
yorkie0802 wrote:Agreed.
How about taking some council tax off students - that would bring some more money in!
It's time they paid their way instead, of being subsidised by York tax-payers !
yorkborn66
says...
10:53pm Mon 4 Feb 13
soprano 2
says...
11:56pm Mon 4 Feb 13
retrorigg
says...
12:08am Tue 5 Feb 13
baldiebiker
says...
12:22am Tue 5 Feb 13
I also asked what they would do with up to 17,000 bin that would be returned, he said he didn't think it would be that many, dream on sonny.
dodgydavereturns
says...
7:13am Tue 5 Feb 13
retrorigg wrote:Yep Alexander is a real
set of cee u next tuesdays, not getting a penny from me
'Cant Understand New Technology' guy!
Guy Fawkes
says...
8:08am Tue 5 Feb 13
As part of its budget proposals for the next two years, the council plans to charge non-residents £10 to use the city’s waste and recycling sites
Why isn't this done already? Visiting relatives over Christmas in south London, I took an old sofa of Mother's to the council tip. She was required to show photo ID with her address on it (either a photocard driving licence or a passport plus two utility bills in her name) before we were allowed in. The tip was for that borough's residents only, because they paid for it. Why on earth are CoYC's taxpayers footing the bill for disposing of other people's waste?
Do the landlords of student accommodation have to pay Council Tax
No.
if not why not?
Because the Higher Education Funding Council for England pays it on the students' behalf, in the case of halls of residence and HMOs that are occupied entirely by students. If any non-student lives in the property (even if, say, a HMO is lived in by three students plus one recent graduate in their first job), it's liable for the full council tax. But the council does not lose revenue if a house is occupied entirely by students.
Here in France there are two types of Council Tax, one for the owner and one for the occupier - you pay both if you are the owner occupier.
The United States has an even better system: 'property tax', as it's called there, is only paid by the owner. If that owner is a landlord, they can try to pass it on to the tenant by including it in the rent if they like, but ultimately tenants will only pay what the market can bear. The thinking behind it is that property owners have a long-term vested interest in the lives of their community, and therefore should be willing to contribute to that, but tenants don't (necessarily), are simply buying a service and shouldn't have to pay hidden extras. That having been said, some cities levy a city income tax (usually between 0.5 to 1.5%), which all residents have to pay.
MrsHoney
says...
8:12am Tue 5 Feb 13
We compost all our garden and food waste so I'm not paying a penny more.
JHardacre
says...
8:25am Tue 5 Feb 13
Hoofarted wrote:Except that CYC is ignoring the government capping so your argument falls at the first hurdle.
Short sightedness appears prominent.
Central Government have capped councils from spending. This then forces councils to either slip into debt or cut to balance the budget.
Now which do you want folks;
The old services unaffected?
The Uncomfortable cuts to afford the limited money?
Or another Government that doesn't play politics with council tax spending and funds them properly?
It's far too easy to blame it on the administrations forced to juggle with these ideological games.
Rich Picking
says...
8:31am Tue 5 Feb 13
glyn
says...
8:43am Tue 5 Feb 13
Put all your waste in a bio degradable cardboard box and deliver it to the council car park.
I'm sorry but this is the only language they understand.
If your lucky it will rain over night and make the boxes unmanageable.
THE BEAR!!!
says...
8:47am Tue 5 Feb 13
You're no dragons den CYC.
anistasia
says...
8:49am Tue 5 Feb 13
capt spaulding
says...
8:52am Tue 5 Feb 13
soprano 2 wrote:I agree, but there are those Guardianistas on here who carp on constantly about lack of affordable and high rents !
Do the landlords of student accommodation have to pay Council Tax, if not why not? Here in France there are two types of Council Tax, one for the owner and one for the occupier - you pay both if you are the owner occupier. As there is a large student population in York, that must add up to a very large amount of income lost each year.
Putting further charges on students and landlords will push rents up even more, probably forcing the hawked to the neck landlords out and then there will be even less affordable.
Simple economics.
Davroshasissues
says...
8:56am Tue 5 Feb 13
But now they want to tax us more for the recycling that THEY imposed on us in the first place? Rediculous!
No problem, i got the grey bin, that'll do...
elliehick
says...
9:28am Tue 5 Feb 13
Guy Fawkes
says...
9:46am Tue 5 Feb 13
See my earlier post - there's no need. Students' council tax is paid to the council in whose patch they live, directly, by Central Government, out of the national tax pot. You can argue about whether it should be or not, but as things stand no council loses out from having significant numbers of student HMOs.
I don't know whether councils get reimbursed from Central Government for residents who pay less or no council tax for other reasons (e.g. council tax discounts because of low income, single person discount etc.). If they don't, then from the point of view of a council's bottom line at any rate, the more students we have living in the city, the better.
Hoofarted
says...
10:10am Tue 5 Feb 13
Scarlet Pimpernel wrote:Dropping to a**e insults again i see Mr Laverack. Bin like debating about bin issues really does suit your intelligence.
Hoofarted wrote:It's easier for Labour stooges like this merchant, to blame it on the government, whilst this council play fast and loose, wasting millions.on non-essential vanity projects.
Short sightedness appears prominent.
Central Government have capped councils from spending. This then forces councils to either slip into debt or cut to balance the budget.
Now which do you want folks;
The old services unaffected?
The Uncomfortable cuts to afford the limited money?
Or another Government that doesn't play politics with council tax spending and funds them properly?
It's far too easy to blame it on the administrations forced to juggle with these ideological games.
This is political gameplaying by Labour - everyone can see that, apart from Hoofarted, who talks out of his a**e !
MouseHouse
says...
10:11am Tue 5 Feb 13
Assuing that is the case they're going to reduce the amount of green material for them to later sell. This seems self-defeating.
Dear oh dear...
julius caesar
says...
10:17am Tue 5 Feb 13
MouseHouse wrote:They are so pathetic a nursery school class could run the city better.
I understood the council complsted the garden waste, and then sold it.
Assuing that is the case they're going to reduce the amount of green material for them to later sell. This seems self-defeating.
Dear oh dear...
Hoofarted
says...
10:18am Tue 5 Feb 13
JHardacre wrote:Wrong! York have increased increased their amount by 1.9% for 2013 to 2014. The Government cap is no more than 2%. This falls just below that amount.
Hoofarted wrote:Except that CYC is ignoring the government capping so your argument falls at the first hurdle.
Short sightedness appears prominent.
Central Government have capped councils from spending. This then forces councils to either slip into debt or cut to balance the budget.
Now which do you want folks;
The old services unaffected?
The Uncomfortable cuts to afford the limited money?
Or another Government that doesn't play politics with council tax spending and funds them properly?
It's far too easy to blame it on the administrations forced to juggle with these ideological games.
So.. First hurdle cleared!
willo the wisp
says...
10:25am Tue 5 Feb 13
One more reason to consider leaving York, I hate living under these brainless morons.
electricwarrior
says...
10:42am Tue 5 Feb 13
peter123456
says...
11:16am Tue 5 Feb 13
BL2
says...
11:43am Tue 5 Feb 13
ColdAsChristmas
says...
12:18pm Tue 5 Feb 13
I told you going Green is expensive!
John Cossham
says...
12:59pm Tue 5 Feb 13
tizme wrote:I support this; I refused the green bin as I like composting at home. This is why I support individuals paying for services they use.
OK, so I won't use my green bin. I'll compost at home. Now how about my refund of council tax for the years I've been doing it anyway!
The green bin system was introduced in the first place to increase the reported recycling rate, and this reduced the amount of home composting going on.
Home composting is far superior to the green bin system as anyone can put pesticide-laden lawn clippings into the Council bin, so potentially contaminating the Council compost. I know EXACTLY what's in the compost I spread on my garden!
John Cossham
says...
1:04pm Tue 5 Feb 13
MouseHouse wrote:Nope, they can't sell it as it's not good quality. Home compost is the best quality material you can put on your garden.
I understood the council complsted the garden waste, and then sold it.
Assuing that is the case they're going to reduce the amount of green material for them to later sell. This seems self-defeating.
Dear oh dear...
ReginaldBiscuit
says...
1:06pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Councils are unlike other organisations which you get your services from. If you are unhappy with your energy bill from edf for example, you can choose another supplier. Sadly, all are now foreign owned and any token regulation which happens is just that. Ofgem are an utter joke. Come to think of it, anything with an 'Of' in front of it is a utter joke. Without real power, staffed by men of straw taking a pay cheque, subjugated and subservient to the organisations they control, quango-centric with a government portfolio.
Anyway, council. Because we are bound to the council, I feel that residents should be seen as 'shareholders' and as such, have a greater say in the council. How it is staffed, managed and run for example. At the moment, there is little or no accountability which is a very dangerous thing and this is ultimately what is wrong.
In terms of this story (and others), it will be no different. The council will go ahead and do what it wants to do anyway because they always think that 'they know best' when most of the time, the reverse is true. It's the minority decisions in this country (and others) which are ruining it for the majority. A free vote on the death penalty for example would almost certainly yield an interesting outcome but again the minority will see to it that it doesn't happen. Like the in/out euro question, It would only happen if it became a hot vote winning issue such as same sex marriages and who honestly gives a monkey's truss about that?
Onwards and downwards.
meme
says...
1:34pm Tue 5 Feb 13
It took me nearly 6 moths to get a waste wheelie bin
When it finally arrived I chased and chased for the recycling boxes and then to my delight got 2 sets within 24 hours of each other!
I tried to return one set but gave up after a while as no one seemed to want them back!
If that's how efficient our waste department is no wonder they need to charge for a terrible service
Kevin Turvey
says...
1:57pm Tue 5 Feb 13
If they are not capable of undertaking these simple tasks then they should all be replaced with something that does.
It’s time the voter got what we want and that the council that is in fear of us not the council that we fear!
York city council have had it easy from me for years.
I compost my own green waste and I have 5 large compost bins at the bottom of the garden.
The only green waste I have put out is when they are full.
So do I get a reduction on my council tax for all the years that I have not been putting out my green bin? No.
Even when they come to collect it the lorry reverses over the gardens in the street! When you complain you just get no response from the unaccountable buffoons that work there.
The thing is once charging is in place it will expand to all the other forms of waste as well.
What will happen is that flytipping will get out of hand.
It would be unfortunate if all the flytipping turned out to be in the nice shiney new entrance of the new council offices! Well they wanted it to be green!
This country is heading for serious dissent and worse, all it takes is another few little squeezes and then an unexpected event such as bad weather/ strike etc and that’s it’s a change of regime within 3 days.
steve_york
says...
2:57pm Tue 5 Feb 13
stephen123
says...
3:10pm Tue 5 Feb 13
lets not encourage people to drive to the tip increasing the carbon footprint every time they need to get rid of green waste.
I am certainly not paying for any services that the council decides the public should subsidise.
The Junkyard Angel
says...
3:49pm Tue 5 Feb 13
meme wrote:meme..lucky you getting a green bin for only'6 moths' very cheap eh!!!
Has anyone actually tried to get normal and recycling bins? It took me nearly 6 moths to get a waste wheelie bin When it finally arrived I chased and chased for the recycling boxes and then to my delight got 2 sets within 24 hours of each other! I tried to return one set but gave up after a while as no one seemed to want them back! If that's how efficient our waste department is no wonder they need to charge for a terrible service
excabbie
says...
3:50pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Perhaps the money made can be used to off set the cost of green waste recycling.
Also an interesting fact for you all, most of all that paper/cardboard ends up in china and Indonesia, only this morning I loaded a shipping container with recycled news print destined for china, how sending it to Asia is green I don't know!!
johnwill
says...
4:26pm Tue 5 Feb 13
TheTruthHurts
says...
4:32pm Tue 5 Feb 13
John Cossham wrote:Dont forget well rotted horse manure from the local stables!
MouseHouse wrote:Nope, they can't sell it as it's not good quality. Home compost is the best quality material you can put on your garden.
I understood the council complsted the garden waste, and then sold it.
Assuing that is the case they're going to reduce the amount of green material for them to later sell. This seems self-defeating.
Dear oh dear...
'
I have a large garden, I have two green bins, two large compost bins, a big compost heap and the odd bonfire yet during the summer months i still have excess waste. If they start charging me for green bins then i will just pile this up on the riverbank at the bottom of the garden and wait for nature to 'collect' it for me.
anistasia
says...
4:33pm Tue 5 Feb 13
bob the builder
says...
4:58pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Despite the claim that they don't collect if the bin lids not down, I see so many overflowing like that that get emptied every fortnight and no recycling out the following week, it is obvious who you should be charging if you walk the streets.
YorkShrimper
says...
5:13pm Tue 5 Feb 13
If £580k needs to be saved over the next 2 years, maybe they should look at whether £1m+ needs to be spent on furniture in the new offices - is this really essential spend?
Be interesting to see if they do put this to public consultation, and if so, will they listen?
mickeytops
says...
6:45pm Tue 5 Feb 13
1. Charge people to use the site that are in vans and have trailers (most of them are buisinesses and no permits).
2. Look at the pay you pay and then look at the private sector you pay nearlly £4 an hour more for a carer then the private sector pays.
charging hard working people more to help you idiots out is wrong get rid of most of the over paid useless senior managers.
The Lord mayor goes round in that huge car when all top Military officers were all told to downgrade there cars would save a packet every year.
Silver
says...
8:59pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Then they'll have to pay to get it removed anyway....seems redundant and more expensive to me
JHardacre
says...
9:29pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Hoofarted wrote:From The Press "The Labour cabinet plans to reject a Government grant to freeze council tax next year"
JHardacre wrote:Wrong! York have increased increased their amount by 1.9% for 2013 to 2014. The Government cap is no more than 2%. This falls just below that amount.
Hoofarted wrote:Except that CYC is ignoring the government capping so your argument falls at the first hurdle.
Short sightedness appears prominent.
Central Government have capped councils from spending. This then forces councils to either slip into debt or cut to balance the budget.
Now which do you want folks;
The old services unaffected?
The Uncomfortable cuts to afford the limited money?
Or another Government that doesn't play politics with council tax spending and funds them properly?
It's far too easy to blame it on the administrations forced to juggle with these ideological games.
So.. First hurdle cleared!
Over to you.
John Cossham
says...
10:21pm Tue 5 Feb 13
johnwill wrote:Oh dear, although I approve of johnwill's home composting, the ignorance of burning plastic bottles and cartons in an ordinary woodburner is shocking.
Lucky I have a woodburning stove, burns anything. plastic bottles, cartons, paper just like an incinerator. Compost grass and hedge cuttings in my garden. I shan't be paying YCC anything extra, they get enough in council tax for us not be be charged again for providing a service.
If plastic is burnt at 'ordinary' temperatures found in woodburners, there is a serious risk of some exceedingly nasty carcinogenic chemicals such as dioxins and furans being formed. Burning plastic in this way is illegal and wrong. What is your recycling box for? Put your plastic bottles in that. Cartons are not currently collected but you can take them to a Civic Amenity Site where there are 'bring banks'.
Please recycle responsibly.
York Manor
says...
11:14pm Tue 5 Feb 13
The next thing we will hear is that the council will want Richard III remains back!
hikerman
says...
9:28am Wed 6 Feb 13
Older Sometimes Wiser
says...
10:16am Wed 6 Feb 13
Attend all Council meetings where issues you care about are discussed. Read the Agenda first on-line on the CYC website ,Register to speak at the Meeting and then put your point/s.Write them down first and be concise!
If every Meeting had enough active electors then perhaps we would have a democracy.
m dee
says...
10:45am Wed 6 Feb 13
any resident now with a couple of bags of green waste with the choice pay for green bin collected or use the vacant space in black bin what will they do?,result York council facing increase in landfill taxes.
Alfredd-g
says...
10:46am Wed 6 Feb 13
Paul2012
says...
12:56pm Wed 6 Feb 13
com/SayNoToTheGreenB
inIncreasedTax
Like and Say NO
anistasia
says...
2:14pm Thu 7 Feb 13
greenmonkey
says...
1:30am Sun 10 Feb 13
Ichabod76
says...
12:57pm Mon 11 Feb 13
1:30am Sun 10 Feb 13
The budget has to be cut (thanks to Tory/Lib Dem government cuts)
The budget has to be cut because the Labour run council are borrowing and spending more than they are saving !
Paul2012 says...
7:39pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Lord Mayor car 60,000 not essential, DN1 licence plate 120,000, over indulgent new council offices £???.
It's plain simple for the York public to see where the council are wasting money, each year the separate departments for the council get a budget in each financial year, most years they fail to spend that budget and rush to spend it on pointless things in the last month.
Why so they don't have a reduced budget the next year, it's idiotic and yet we are the ones that have to pick that up.
Sorry Alexander but you are the one accountable.