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A proposal to introduce green bin charges has sparked controversy and allegations about a “garden tax.”
Earlier this week, Bolton Council announced it may be bringing in a new policy needing people to opt in to pay charges of £45 a year to have their garden waste collected from green bins.
But with a consultation still to run over the next month, the proposal has already provoked widespread opposition.
Conservative environment spokesperson Cllr Nadim Muslim said: “Let’s be very clear, this is a garden tax.
“This is a punishment for people who have aspired, who have achieved and who have got a garden.”
Cllr Muslim said that the policy was is likely to hit certain groups harder than others including single people and elderly people, who have already lost out on winter fuel payments.
He also warned it could put people off recycling and may lead to further cases of fly tipping.
Cllr Muslim said: “I think this is something most councillors will be opposed to, I think that even within the Labour group there have been a lot of people opposed to this.”
He added: “When we ran the previous administration, we managed to have some of the lowest rates of fly tipping, since Labour have taken over that figure has increased.”
The Bolton Green Party, which holds a seat on the council, has also expressed strong reservations about the proposal.
Chair Alan Johnson said: “People living in social housing or who are on modest incomes, they’re just not going to do it!”
He added: “If people are not given incentives to recycle, they’re not going to recycle.
“It’ll cost more in the long run trying to sort the fly tipping, I just think it’s a nonsense.”
As proposed, the charge of £45 a year for 25 pickups will apply for households that opt into the scheme.
Households without a garden will not have to pay, neither will those in “hard to reach” areas that do not have a green bin at all.
But once the consultation period passes in November, the policy looks to face a tough route to being passed.
The Horwich and Blackrod First Independents are another opposition group who have said they will not support the charges.
Leader Cllr David Grant said: “HBFI were approached by labour a couple of weeks ago to discuss the budget deficit facing Environmental services.
“The directorate is required to either save (cut) or raise £1million this coming budget.
“To cover this gap the officers and executive cabinet members proposed a Chorley style charge this way existing services wouldn't need to be lost.
“Whilst our members are not whipped, we had a party meeting to discuss the implications however the conclusion was that on balance we could not support this proposal on the following grounds.”
Cllr Grant said these grounds included that the newly implemented beige bin timetable still has issues with missed bind particularly those on assisted collections.
Another was that the charges could lead to an increase in domestic waste burning and fly tipping
Another concerned was the effects on residents in a cost-of-living crisis particularly elderly residents without a vehicle who cannot take their waste to a tip could be exploited.
Cllr Grant said: “We understand this puts the directorate in a difficult position and a serious discussion needs to be had within the council about the council's structure.
“Despite a change in government no new funding looks to be coming to local councils.
“We therefore need to do a thorough audit of all councils functions to ensure cost effective services and necessary demands by the public are met and future proofed.”
But Bolton Council’s Labour leader have said the move will help make around £1M in savings and help protect frontline services.
Council cabinet member for the environment and climate change Cllr Richard Silvester said: “We don’t make any proposals around bin collections and charging for services without extremely careful consideration.
“Currently, over 80,000 households have free collections of garden waste and anyone who pays council tax helps to fund these collections, regardless of whether they have a garden or not.
“This proposal would mean that those who choose to use the service would contribute directly towards the cost of providing it.
“At a time when council budgets are under severe strain, we must find ways to protect vital frontline services, and therefore we need to consider every option.
“I would urge everyone to take part in the consultation, whether they have a garden or not, and have their say.”
The proposal can be found by going to Chargeable Garden Waste Removal Consultation on the active consultations section of Bolton Council's website.
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