Green bin charges were introduced by the previous administration (Conservatives) in August 2022 at £20 and then for the first full year to £40 from April 2023.
Green bin charges are part of the wider ’fees and charges’ of the Council. The Conservatives set an annual overall increase of these of 15% every year in 2020, which was later reduced to 10% every year.
See 4.2 here in council document
When the Green Party became part of the administration at the District Council after elections in May 2023 we inherited an overall financial annual shortfall of £3.5 million every year with no programme to fix it. As part of the joint administration we have put in place a plan to balance the books and deliver excellent services for residents. We have identified plenty of places where it is possible, over time to do both. That programme of efficiencies has come in on target and on budget in March 2025, but there is still some way to go. It’s not possible to fix this bigger shortfall overnight.
This shortfall was even with increasing fees and charges like green bin charges and the Conservatives (along with all other parties) supported the increases in 2023/4 and 2024/5 on 15 Nov 2023 & 27 Nov 2024 respectively.
We would love to not have to charge more, or indeed charge at all for green bin collections, but with the inherited financial position the choice before us is to charge for a green bin service or not have one at all.
We are working to end the assumption that charges will keep going up by 10% a year. We don’t think it’s fair to build this assumption in that is so far above inflation. This is part of our work to make the books balance and deliver valued services that are there when residents need them.