HOUSEHOLD WASTE CUTS

2 out 4 of the district’s household waste and recycling centres are at risk. To balance the books, Kent County Council is aiming to deliver £1.5m in savings – resulting in closures.

KCC’s Environment and Transport Cabinet committee suggest that user numbers are still down post-Covid and so cannot warrant maintains al of the sites across the county, necessitating scaled back services during off-peak times or full scale closures. Given the proximity of sites in the east of the county, our district tips are being eyed up for closure.

Leader of DDC, Cllr Kevin Mills said “We’re urging KCC to rethink these plans, which are counterproductive both to the environment and cost saving.

“Whilst we appreciate the pressure on KCC’s budget they should be seeking to protect the key services on which people rely.” The Tories locally agree with our position that this proposed methodology is flawed.

The immediate impact means many resident will no longer be without a short distance of a local site – a target set by KCC themselves – and so residents will need to drive their waste further, at a cost to themselves in fuel but also by polluting the environment. Then there will be those that officers at DDC highlight inevitably will fly tip waste in our rural areas: DDC will be left to pick up the cost of this at the expense of you, the taxpayer.

KCC have so far stalled the consultation process, although they can probably have a good guess at the responses they are going to receive.

Savings of £1.5m are a drop in the ocean, compared to the billions needed to prevent KCC’s imminent bankruptcy.