Council ponders paying more to use neighbour's tip

Without Somerley, some residents could face an hour round trip to their nearest tip

A council may have to pay more to allow its residents to use a tip owned by a cash-strapped authority in its neighbouring county, a budget meeting has been told.

Currently, an estimated 20,000 Dorset residents live within five miles of the Somerley Household Waste Recycling Centre in Ringwood, Hampshire, and many use its facilities.

In 2022/23, Dorset Council paid Hampshire County Council £151,000 for residents to use the Somerley site.

But that sum could rise as Hampshire County Council embarks on a £132m savings plan.

Dorset councillor David Tooke told a budget scrutiny meeting that without Somerley some residents could have hour-long round trips to go to other dumps, so it could be worthwhile for Dorset Council to pay the extra.

Hampshire County Council is currently looking at how many tip sites it operates in the future, including Somerley.

About 20,000 residents live within five miles of the tip

Dorset residents also use the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council sites at Millhams, Christchurch and Nuffield in Poole.

Collectively, Dorset Council pays neighbouring authorities about £0.5m per year for residents to use its facilities.

If it did not make the payments to BCP and Hampshire, it would still have to dispose of Dorset residents’ waste, which would still have a cost, Dorset Council said.

For many the nearest Dorset site is in Wimborne, a facility considered inadequate for the immediate local area.

Dorset Council leader Spencer Flower said, with the Somerley site well used by the county's residents, he would be talking to Hampshire County Council about any proposals for changes as part of the consultation process.