FREE bulky waste collections will be offered to residents across Southend in a bid to slash issues with unsightly fly-tipping being dumped on the side of roads.
Southend Council’s Labour-led administration has confirmed it will deliver on its promise of free bulky waste collections when a new waste contract is agreed.
Cabinet is set to agree the preferred bidder when it meets on Monday, September 16 but for now is keeping the identity of the contractor a secret. The council’s current contract with Veolia expires in April next year.
Details have yet to be made public but council leader Daniel Cowan this week confirmed Labour’s election pledge to provide a free bulky waste collection service, for items such as fridges, mattresses and furniture, will be part of the contract.
Under the current contract, Veolia keeps the revenue from garden and bulky waste collections but under the new terms the council will.
Lydia Hyde, councillor responsible for climate, environment and waste, said: “We’ve changed it so any money we collect from bulky waste collections is kept by the council and we made a pledge it would be free and that’s what we’ve done. We’re going to keep garden waste charges. Those will be collected as an income to the council.”
Ms Hyde added: “We think there is going to be a longer term financial benefit to the council. The reason we are offering the free bulky waste service is to make it easier for people to dispose of waste the correct way to try and reduce fly tipping. Fly tipping costs us more.
“What we’re likely to do is offer free collection for up to five items otherwise you might get people abuse the system. There will be sensible limitations to stop abuse but it will be a good service that will hopefully reduce fly tipping.”
James Courtenay, leader of the Conservative Group, believes the scheme is unaffordable for the council. He said: “It’s a great election pledge to say we’re going to have free bulky waste collection but that’s going to come at a cost. At the moment people pay for bulky waste to be collected. They are saying they are going to do it for free. Great, but where’s the money going to come from?
“We’re already facing being more than £8 million overspent. There’s an income revenue they are switching off. If they were a couple of million in surplus and wanted to spend it I would have no problem but they’ve got to make the budget balance. You can’t keep putting it on the credit card. It may make Labour look good but the only people who will end up paying for it are Southend council tax payers.”
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