Over a month ago I invited Ross Peddlesden to at least look at Council’s financial statements to gain an understanding of the costs associated with ‘free’ green waste disposal at regional landfills so that he could explain how he would recoup these if the ‘user pays’ system was abolished.
Once again, I have to reiterate that I’m not being negative to this option as I know that it has been adopted by some other Councils and could be implemented here.
The only concern that I have is that the community needs to be engaged and made aware that unless Ross has an alternative solution, they will be paying for the cost of green waste management/disposal across the region through their General Rates whether they take material to the tips or not.
The financials are pretty basic and are freely available to the public. They include line by line descriptions of incomes and expenditures and I’ve confirmed that a qualified officer can be made available to run through the figures to personally explain them and to ensure that all the facts are understood. Again, this isn’t in any way meant to be confrontational however one of the most important responsibilities of an elected representative is to thoroughly research issues before committing to an opinion or a vote and especially when it will impact on people’s rates.
In the interim, Council officers have provided me with a Business Case which provides some broad scale figures and background information. They have also provided a relevant excerpt from the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 and a Waste Charges Comparison Sheet, all of which can be accessed here – Business Case for Free Domestic Green Waste Disposal February 2016