No reversal of tip closures says council leader

The closure of Birstall's Nab Lane tip has had a knock-on effect on fly-tipping and other waste sites, critics claim

The decision to shut a West Yorkshire waste tip will not be reversed, a council has said, despite claims fly-tipping has increased as a result.

Kirklees Council shut Nab Lane Household Waste Recycling Centre in Birstall last November in a move it said was needed to save money.

But several councillors have continued to call for the site to be revived, with the impact on neighbouring waste tips also cited as a problem.

Speaking at the full council meeting however, Kirklees Council Leader Carole Pattinson said changes to recycling processes meant "less waste will be created in the first place".

At the same time as the closure of the Nab Lane site last year, the council, which is run by a Labour as a minority administration, also cut the operating hours of two other waste sites.

Bromley Farm in Upper Cumberworth is now closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, while Meltham's Bent Ley Road site is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Community Alliance councillor Paul Moore said there had been longer queues and waiting times at Dewsbury's Weaving Lane tip and the impact had pushed staff to "breaking point".

Conservative councillor Josh Sheard called for a cost-sharing model between the local authority, Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) to reopen the site.

Conservative councillor Josh Sheard has suggested the costs of running the tip are split between three public authorities

He said: "The more that we delay, the more environmental harm comes, the more fly-tipping, the more service inequality we allow to grow. Regional problems require regional thinking but it has to start somewhere."

However, Pattinson said the chances of a regional agreement to reopen the site were "absolutely zilch", stating one reason was that different local authorities have different waste contractors.

She also said that new recycling processes would be in place within the area next year.

She added: "The use of waste disposal sites should go down because simpler recycling will mean that, certainly in Kirklees, there'll be more waste removed at the kerb side.

"There are other things coming on board that will mean less waste will be created in the first place."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.