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Members of Wokingham Borough Council’s Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee have voted not to recommend a reduction in litter bin provisions.
The proposals will still be discussed at a meeting of the decision-making Executive Committee on October 26, but the lack of support is expected to carry weight when a final decision is made.
Wokingham Borough Council, like others, is experiencing significant financial pressures due to inflation, capped increases of council tax and being the least funded unitary authority in the country.
The current spend for street cleaning is around £1.4million. The proposal to reduce litter bins was predicted to save £83,000 in the 2024/25 financial year, and £180,000 during the following year.
A borough wide consultation ran from Monday August 14 until Sunday September 10 with 1,650 responses received.
The survey included a list of 170 litter bins throughout Wokingham borough that had been identified for removal, and asked for comments. Every litter bin received comments, ranging from 91 for the most commented to 19 for the fewest.
Almost half (49.78%) of respondents did not support the removal of litter bins, and a reduction of emptying of some bins from twice per week to once per week.
The main feedback suggested that implementing the changes would result in the borough looking ‘worse off’ as compared to the status quo.
This could result in greater contact by residents to enquire/complain, and therefore generate additional work for the council. It is for this reason, and after considering all the feedback, that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was asked to consider the overall position.
Notes to the report of Monday’s meeting said: “Wokingham Borough Council acknowledges the responses within the public consultation, especially regarding the removal of the litter bins, and noting the other concerns raised relating to Environmental Services.
“It is worth noting that a consultation, while not a referendum, informs a proposed course of action.
“This report invites the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to debate and arrive at a position of whether the litter bins identified for removal remain or are removed.
“It should be noted that should the litter bins remain, the required financial savings will be forgone and become a financial pressure to resolve.”
Other proposals to grounds maintenance that were approved as part of the recommendation to the Executive included a reduction in the frequency of grass cutting from six cuts to four cuts per annum, a reduction in the frequency of weed spraying from three times per year to two times per year, a reduction in the frequency of mechanical road sweeping throughout the borough and reduced cleaning around bottle banks from twice a week to once per week.
The Council, as a local authority, has a legal duty under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure that its land, or land for which it is responsible, is, as far as is practicable, kept clear of litter and refuse.
