Norfolk faces axe on DIY waste charges at recycling centres

Norfolk County Council bosses said it was too early to speculate on the impact of government legislation, but that it could cost the authority as much as £1m.

There have been charges for large amounts of DIY waste for more than two decades, but, in 2018, the county council removed a concession which allowed people to leave small amounts of waste for free.

That meant people were charged to leave materials such as rubble, plasterboard, doors, fence panels, fitted units and bathroom suites.

Charges per 80-litre sack or single item range from £3.50 to £12.

That decision to bring in charges was controversial, with opposition councillors claiming it had led to increases in fly-tipping, a claim which was disputed by the county council.

But, following public consultation last year, the government announced it would abolish the fees some councils charge for disposing of household DIY waste at recycling centres.

READ MORE: Man refuses to pay tip charge, is locked in waste centre

However, the county council said there could still be charges imposed beyond a certain amount.

The authority said it appeared the government would require free disposal for up to 100 litres of DIY waste or one bulky item, such as a bathtub from householders per week - so there could still be charges for more than that.

A spokeswoman said: "We are waiting to see the details of this government legislation which will form the basis of any changes, so cannot speculate at this time on what impact this may have.

"DIY charges are only set to contribute towards the cost of dealing with this type of material and, following the publication of the detailed legislation, we will review the impact any changes will have."

The government said it was abolishing the charges after "overwhelming public support" in last year's consultation.

Environment minister Rebecca Pow (Image: UK Parliament)

Environment minister Rebecca Pow said: "We want to make it as easy as possible for people to dispose of their waste properly and that’s why we are removing the financial burden on doing the right thing with DIY trash."

Labour county councillor Terry Jermy said: "Myself and county Labour Group colleagues have consistently opposed DIY waste charges, so we are naturally delighted that the government has decided to force councils like Norfolk to scrap them.

"We need to be removing barriers and improving access to household waste recycling centres, to improve levels of recycling and reduce incidents of fly-tipping blighting our communities."

ANALYSIS

The government's move to ditch charges to get rid of DIY household waste at recycling centres, including in Norfolk, has, unsuprisingly, been welcomed by the public.

The introduction of the charges in 2018 by Norfolk County Council were hugely controversial.

It brought to an end a concession which had meant people could take along 80 litres of household DIY waste - or a single bulky item - to tips once a week and dispose of it for free.

It led to confusion and anger. At one point there was an extraordinary stand-off which saw a 71-year-old, who was unhappy at being asked to pay to dispose of wood, locked in a recycling centre for half an hour until the situation was resolved.

There have also been claims - which council bosses have disputed - that the introduction of charges has led to fly-tipping, with people dumping waste in fields, rather than paying at recycling centres.

And now, it looks as if the charges are at an end, after the government said it would abolish the fees.

The county council says it's too early to say what the impact would be - and suggest people who take more than a certain amount of household DIY waste to tips each week could still be charged.

But, while people might be happy not to have to pay these charges when they get to tips, they might end up being hit in the pocket in the long term.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils, has warned that councils left with holes in their budgets because of the loss of this revenue could end up having to increase their share of council tax to make up for the gap.

Norfolk County Council is already basing its financial planning for its next budget on £42.6m of cuts and savings and a 4.99pc increase in its share of the tax.

It's all well and good for the government to make a populist move and to axe these charges.

But what is not all well and good is the way the government has, for years, failed to fund councils which provide vital local services properly, which was why the council brought in these charges in the first place.