Stockport council will move ahead with plans for a £59 charge for garden waste collection despite massive backlash from residents.

Deputy leader Mark Roberts said at a town hall meeting last night that “difficult decisions” have to be made to balance the books as the council looks to save £25m this year.

The plan would see households opt in to pay £59 a year to continue weekly garden waste collections in their green bins, discounted to £39 for residents who receive council tax support.

Food-only weekly green bin collections will remain free under the plans, but blue bin collections for paper, cardboard and cartons could be made every four weeks rather than fortnightly as they are now.

The council said households who feel they need a larger blue bin can pay £15 for an upgrade.

Residents not wanting to pay the garden waste charge can buy a compost bin for £10 to £20 depending on the size to remove their garden waste that way instead.

Around 97,000 homes in the borough have a green bin and council chiefs think more than 40 percent of these will sign up to pay for the garden waste charge.

Stockport town hall (Image - Alasdair Perry)

If approved at the council’s budget meeting next month, the plans will cut costs for the town hall by around £2m.

But residents have reacted strongly to the plans, with more than 8,000 sharing their thoughts in a consultation on the proposal.

Some told the Local Democracy Reporting Service last week that they fear the charge could lead to more flytipping, but the council’s director of place management Mark Glynn said the concern is “unevidenced” in other areas which have brought in garden waste fees.

Stockport council’s deputy leader Mark Roberts said the town hall “needs to press ahead” with the charge because of growing financial pressure on its budget.

“When it comes to making savings here at the council there are no easy choices to be made,” he added.

“Introducing a charge for kerbside garden waste collection is something we are looking at with great reluctance, but councils across the country are facing similar pressures, most have already had to do this.

“It will help us protect those essential frontline services that so many rely on. It will help us keep our libraries open, it will help us keep our pools full of water, and it will mean that we are there to respond to those vulnerable people across our communities that need us.”

(Image - LDRS)

Currently, garden and food waste is collected for free every week in Stockport’s green bins, and blue bins are emptied every two weeks.

Under the new plans, residents would still get a free weekly food-only green bin collection, but would have to buy a permit for £59 to have their garden waste collected too.

Those choosing to buy garden waste permits can mix garden and food waste in one green bin or use two separate bins.

Those who do not buy a permit would have to dispose of garden waste themselves.

Blue bins would be collected on a four-weekly basis under the proposals, while black and brown bin collections for non-recyclable waste and plastic, glass, tins, cans and aerosols would not change.

Black bins are collected every two weeks and brown bins every four weeks.

Stockport spends more than 75pc of its budget on social care and children’s services, an issue which is putting many councils under pressure as demand for care continues to increase.

But more savings are needed in future which could put services at risk again, with Stockport needing to plug a £60m black hole by 2028/29.

~

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

To get our top stories in your inbox each week, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter HERE.

Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or Twitter