Decision due on garden waste charge rise

The £36 annual fee has not risen since the charge was introduced seven years ago

Tamworth Borough Council is set to decide whether to increase garden waste charges for the first time since fees were introduced in 2017.

If council leaders approve the rise on 8 August, the charge would increase to £41 a year from 1 October.

Currently about 15,000 residents are charged £36 a year for a garden waste subscription, but the council said cost pressures had forced it to review the fee.

It is also proposing that in future, the subscription charge increases every year based on the inflation rate for June, measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), with the figure rounded up or down to the nearest 50 pence.

Since the introduction of garden waste subscription charges, Tamworth Borough Council has kept the cost at £36, whereas the cost at Lichfield District Council has risen to £40.

This £4 gap between the joint waste service places a "significant administrative burden on the service" a report to councillors states.

The additional cost pressures of removing garden waste include measures to reduce the carbon footprint of the service, and staffing and fuel costs.

The report states that if the borough council decided not to increase the fee, it could meet the shortfall using its reserves, but that was not sustainable long-term.

It adds that by charging the additional costs to people who use the garden waste service, it ensures that only those who benefit from the scheme pay for its delivery.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.