ECA Response: Blue Bin Collection U-turn

ECA Response: Blue Bin Collection U-turn

The Edgeley Community Association welcomes Stockport Council's decision to restore blue bin collections to a fortnightly service.

Increasing the frequency of paper, card and cardboard collections is undoubtedly good news for residents. Families have spent months struggling with overflowing bins, particularly since the introduction of the requirement for lids to be fully closed. Any decision that makes recycling easier and more convenient for local households should be supported.

However, this announcement raises serious questions about the judgement, transparency and financial management of the Liberal Democrat administration.

From the very beginning, we warned that reducing blue bin collections was a mistake. When the changes were first proposed, we made it clear that cutting a core recycling service was unsustainable for many households and risked creating exactly the problems residents have experienced over recent months.

Rather than listening to those concerns, the administration pressed ahead and repeatedly defended its decision.

During the March budget process, the ECA put forward a proposal that would have restored collections to at least a three-weekly schedule. At the time, the Council's Section 151 Officer advised members that such a change was not financially viable within the approved budget. Officers explicitly ruled out funding the proposal through in-year underspends, reserves or contract reprofiling under their risk assessment.

That leaves a simple but important question: if a three-weekly service was considered unaffordable just six months ago, where has the money suddenly come from to fund a return to fortnightly collections?

Residents deserve a clear and honest answer. The budget approved by the administration was based on four-weekly collections. If the council can now afford a significantly more expensive service, then the administration must explain what has changed, how much the new arrangements