Cheltenham tip opening hours slashed to cut costs

It is hoped the reduction in opening hours will help deliver savings of around £35,000 a year

Opening hours are being cut at a waste and recycling centre to "better reflect the site's usage after the pandemic" and bring down running costs.

The depot on Swindon Road in Cheltenham will be open from 8.30am to 4pm, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and the site will close on Wednesdays.

It currently opens from 7.30am until 7.30pm every week day in the summer and until 6.30pm in the winter.

The changes will start on 1 February.

Saturday hours will be slightly reduced, with the current 7.30am to 4pm opening times cut to 8.30am to 3pm.

The site will maintain its current Sunday hours between 9am and noon.

'Valuable facility'

Cheltenham Borough Council's leader Tim Harman said Swindon Road depot is a valuable facility, and should not have its opening hours reduced.

He said: "I use it personally and I think we should make it as easy as possible for people to use it for recycling, not more difficult."

Waste, recycling and street services cabinet member Iain Dobie said the reduction in opening hours would help deliver savings needed by the council - of around £35,000 a year.

"Proposed changes to the opening hours will reduce energy consumption and therefore energy costs to support the climate emergency and budget pressures at the same time," he told a cabinet meeting on December 20.

He also said the introduction of a wider range of recycling at the site will support the council's ambition to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.