Council pledges to keep all rubbish tips open

The formerly Conservative-led Kent County Council previously proposed closing four of six centres

There will be no closures of rubbish tips in Kent under the new Reform UK-led administration, the council has said.

The formerly Conservative-led Kent County Council (KCC) had proposed closing four of six household waste recycling centres in 2023, but cancelled the plans after a public backlash and a Tory backbench revolt.

The now Reform UK-led authority has indicated that all the facilities will remain open.

Councillor David Wimble, cabinet member for the portfolio said that "subject to some act of God", there were no plans to shut the centres.

He had been questioned by Liberal Democrat councillor Tim Prater if the centres were safe during a meeting of the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee.

Mr Wimble said: "Will there still be the same number in five years time? To the best of my ability to answer that, subject to an act of God, I'm of the opinion that, yes, we are keeping them all open."

The household waste recycling centres are in Faversham, Tovil, Deal, Richborough, Dartford and Swanley.

The council previously said it hoped it could save £1.5m through the closures, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The announcement that there were no planned closures was welcomed by opposition parties.

The issue was raised as councillors agreed to extend contracts to two companies which run the sites and dispose of household waste until 2030, costing £14m a year.