Cheshire East councillor slams tips consultation as ‘a joke’

Sutton councillor Dr Chris O’Leary (Con) said none of the options presented to the public have been costed.

And he questioned how the council could make its projected saving of £263,000, which was included in the 2024/25 budget, by the emergency temporary closure of the HWRCs at Bollington, Middlewich and Poynton.

Cllr O’Leary said: “None of the options [in the consultation] have been costed, so the council has no idea whether any of this is affordable, or would be within the budget already agreed for recycling centres.

“The options presented make little sense – options to close Bollington or Poynton, and then another option to close both and Middlewich.

“Several of the questions are so poorly written as to be meaningless.”

Cllr Chris O'Leary (Image: Cheshire East Council)

And he was critical of the proposed emergency temporary closures at Bollington, Middlewich and Poynton.

These emergency closures had been agreed to in February at full council as part of the budget – three months before this month’s consultation on the future of all seven of the borough’s tips had been launched.

To make that £263,000 saving it was indicated in the budget the three tips would have to close from April 1, 2024, for a period of 12 months.

That hasn’t yet happened and last week the council said the emergency closure is ‘currently targeted to take place in the next two months’.

Cllr O’Leary blasted ‘the incompetence over the temporary closures’.

“These were first proposed last autumn, yet the council gave little thought as to how this would work,” he said.

“So, even before the new financial year had started, £263,000 of savings agreed only in February are now at risk, making a s114 notice - where the council does not have enough money to cover its costs - even more likely.”

Cash-strapped Cheshire East needs to plug a £100m four-year funding gap.

The consultation asks for residents' views on the following options:

• All [seven] HWRCs remain open as they are now;
• Poynton HWRC is closed;
• Bollington HWRC is closed;
• Bollington, Middlewich and Poynton HWRCs are closed.

The council is also asking people for their feedback on introducing mobile HWRCs, which usually consist of staffed collection vehicles that visit public spaces once a month on a rotating schedule.

And it wants feedback on introducing a booking system, which, it says, would manage waiting times and the flow of traffic into the sites.

Cllr Mick Warren (Image: Cheshire East Council)

Chair of environment and communities Cllr Mick Warren (Macclesfield, Ind) said in a statement released last week: “A key aspect of the final recommendation that is developed for HWRCs will be a focus on delivering a service that promotes waste prevention and reduction so that, ultimately, less waste ends up at our HWRCs and the impact on the environment is reduced.

“We also have the opportunity to look at how we can make the service more accessible for people who don’t drive and for those that live in more rural areas where they are further away from a HWRC.”

The consultation will close on June 16, 2024 and can be accessed here.

Paper versions of the online survey are available at local libraries.

You can also provide your feedback by emailing the research and consultation team at ceconsultation@cheshireeast.gov.uk or by phoning customer services on 0300 123 5500 who will send your enquiry to the relevant department.