By Local Democracy Reporter Peter Davison
A final bid to stop rubbish bin collections in Wiltshire moving to a three-weekly cycle has failed.
The Reform group originally tabled an amendment to the budget, which was later incorporated into the Conservatives’ “alternative budget.”
The amendment sought to reverse a £3.4million saving the Liberal Democrat administration said it could make by switching collections of ‘residual waste’ – that is, everything that is not recycling – from fortnightly to three-weekly.
The Lib Dems say that with food waste and soft plastics recycling, households will have less waste to put in their black bins – justifying the reduction in collections.
The reversal would also mean an investment in new bin lorries.
But Reform group leader Ed Rimmer told full council on Tuesday, during a debate about the setting of the budget, that he had received “innumerable” emails about the change to bin collections.
“The proposal to move from fortnightly to three-weekly was met with immediate public reaction,” said Cllr Rimmer, “and people’s immediate reaction was ‘if you’re reducing it by a third, presumably I get a third off my council tax?’
“Of course they don’t. They get a council tax rise of 4.99 per cent. It’s a case of people paying more and getting less. Frankly, it’s insulting to residents.”
“Waste collection is not a luxury,” he added. “It is one of the most fundamental services this council provides.”
His views were echoed by Reform colleague Cllr Boaz Barry (Westbury North).
“Bin collections are not a luxury or a nice-to-have. They’re one of the basic promises a council makes to the people. And when basic promises start to slip, people notice,” he said.
“For many households, larger families, a three-week gap between bin collections is not a minor adjustment; it’s a real practical burden.
“As a parent with a young family, I know how quickly bins fill.
“The moment residents start to feel basics are slipping, confidence in everything else starts to slip too.
“This is not just about bin collections, it’s about trust.”
The alternative budget – including Reform’s bin collection motion – was defeated by a vote of 50 to 48, while the administration’s budget – which included a reduction in residual waste alongside the collection of food waste and soft plastics – passed by 50 votes to 48.
