Bournemouth council is applying for a share of a £250 million government fund set up to help councils run weekly bin collections, despite already providing a weekly service.
More than half of councils in England have moved to fortnightly collections. The government scheme announced by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles hopes to buck the trend.
Pickles said that weekly bin collections are a “basic right” and that the “Government is making sure that councils can offer a good weekly collection and make it easier to go green”.
More than 70 councils have expressed an interest in the scheme, so councils that don’t already have weekly collection “might get priority over Bournemouth”. Councils have until March to apply, then the money will be available from April.
Hilary Benn, Labour’s shadow communities secretary, said: “At a time of deep cuts, when local councils are having to make very difficult decisions, the quarter of a billion pounds Eric Pickles has found for this could be much better spent on preventing SureStart centres from closing or providing extra care for our elderly people.”
Related articles
- Bournemouth gets top ranking for recycling (thebreaker.co.uk)
