Council tax rebate denied despite Allerdale bin strikes

Mark Fryer dismissed calls for a council tax rebate at a meeting at Carlisle Civic Centre

Allerdale residents have been told they will not be given a council tax rebate despite disrupted bin collections.

Residents were subjected to months of bin strikes following a dispute over pay and hours.

Councillor Stephen Stoddart asked Cumberland Council on Tuesday if those affected by the industrial action would be asked to pay less council tax.

Labour council leader Mark Fryer shot down the idea saying the council had a "legal duty" to set a balanced budget.

Mr Fryer said: "Part of the budget-setting process includes setting the council tax to cover education, libraries, road maintenance, street lighting and cleansing, social care, police, planning, waste collection, etc...

"It is not a service charge for services provided, but a local tax."

Rubbish dumped

Unite and GMB union members began strike action in April before going on a continuous strike from May until August.

It meant that 30,000 households were affected by the strikes for 18 weeks.

Some residents were forced to take rubbish to public bins while rubbish bags were found dumped in Setmurthy woods, near Cockermouth.

A deal was struck between the workers and their employer - Cumberland Council's Allerdale Waste Services (AWS) - in August, putting an end to the strikes.

The deal saw loaders offered an 8.3% pay increase to £11.81 an hour, while HGV drivers were offered a 13.6% pay rise to £13.62 an hour.

Working hours were reduced to 37 hours a week, with staff receiving double-time payments for working bank holidays and a day off in lieu.