Future of North Northamptonshire garden bin collections to go up for consultation

People in North Northamptonshire will be asked for their views on the future collection of garden waste from their homes, if councillors approve a consultation next week.

In Corby and Kettering, the service is provided all year round at no extra charge, while in Wellingborough it operates between March and November with no additional cost for residents.

But in East Northamptonshire the year-round scheme has an opt-in £55 annual subscription fee - and now North Northamptonshire Council wants to harmonise waste collection so all residents receive the same service after last year's local government reorganisation.

Next week councillors on the authority's executive committee after set to approve launching a consultation to ask residents for their views.

Cllr Graham Lawman, NNC's executive member for highways, travel and assets, said: “Now that we are one council across the North Northants area, we need to ensure there is a consistent service and whether there should be a charge across North Northamptonshire or not, for all our residents and we are now working to make this happen.

“It’s important that we ask people for their views on this as it affects the majority of households in our area and certainly everyone who has a garden.”

If agreed the consultation would start in March with the results reported back to a meeting of the executive in July. The new service would begin by autumn 2022.

The consultation will determine which months of the year a kerbside collection service would operate, if it would be provided to all residents free of charge or whether to introduce a subscription-based scheme and, most importantly, how much would users be willing to pay.

During a consultation phase, to inform the emerging Environment Bill, the Government asked whether local authorities should be required to introduce a free fortnightly garden waste collection service.

Although the outcome of that consultation has still not been published, the Environment Bill is now enshrined into UK law having been granted Royal Assent in November 2021.

Within the act, there is no restriction on charging for the collection of garden waste. The Government may still change the regulations and restrict local authorities’ flexibility to charge residents a fee to receive a garden waste service, but, they have not indicated any further intention to do so.

In neighbouring West Northamptonshire residents were recently told they would have to pay £42 a year if they wanted garden bins collected in Northampton, Daventry and south Northamptonshire, despite calls to 'give residents a break'.