UPDATE
Cllr Smith has agreed that next year, and for future years, the spring opening of this recycling facility will be arranged around the Easter and May Bank Holidays.
WBRA have pressed Cllr Colin Smith to re-instate the green waste recycling service at Unicorn Primary School car park, Creswell Drive. In particular, we have been approached by members who would like it to be open on the two May Bank Holiday weekends, when they might be able to catch up with the spring clear out.
Cllr Smith has responded
May I firstly apologise for the imminent changes; I more than understand that they are not universally popular and I would hope it is fairly obviously that these are measures I would only to sign up to with a very heavy heart.
Ultimately, we are now having to assess the value of nice to have services such as this, versus reductions to care packages for elderly folk, or the retention of as many case workers for seriously troubled children, and in the final analysis, much as it grieves me to see the partial dismantling of a service I have spent the last 10 years of my life championing, I genuinely do believe, with regret, that it has become a necessary pill to swallow against that backdrop.
Whilst being in no way unsympathetic to the suggestion, I think what I would have say to your request, is that having just spread the word that the service would end at the end of April, and having set budgets for the year on that basis, the first week in May really does come too soon afterwards to consider (and spread further amended communication for) given that we need some hard evidence as to how these changes will play out on the ground in any event.
For your possible interest, please also find immediately below the report showing various trends around which the decision was based :
The whole object of retaining April (which was initially earmarked for deletion as well) being to provide that window of opportunity to catch up with the Spring clean out that you quite reasonably point to.
It’s also very much the case that I couldn’t justify opening the Beckenham site in isolation (especially given residents relatively easy access/proximity to either Churchfields or Waldo compared to others living out in the Cray or Biggin Hill) either (which incidentally is why Green St Green has been retained to relieve pressure on Waldo Road).
I do as I allude to though, definitely accept the validity and relevance of your question and depending on how works out, offer you my undertaking that the Council will re-evaluate the situation on an evidence led basis if necessary, subject to the experiences gained over coming months.
In closing, I am genuinely very sorry once again for any upset and personal inconvenience this decision has caused either yourself or membership.
I very much hope that when better financial times return, this decision might be reversed. That certainly remains my aspiration.
It is clearly true that the central government has imposed severe cuts on local government and hard choices do have to be made by our local authority.
Cllr Smith has however agreed to consider encompassing next year’s early May bank holiday at least within the schedule to allow people to catch up on their gardening over a long weekend (even if it means starting a week later in April).