Green waste charge petition signed by 1,600

More than 1,600 residents in Shropshire have signed a petition against a council charge for green waste collections.

Shropshire Council has begun taking annual payments of £56 after saying it could no longer afford to provide the service as it attempted to save £62.5m from its budget this financial year.

Petition organiser Julie Mitchell from Pant, Oswestry, said the changes would lead to fly-tipping as people could not afford the fee.

The council said it was facing unprecedented financial pressure which meant it had to make difficult decisions.

"The council is being overly optimistic about the revenue it thinks it will get," Ms Mitchell said.

Some people just could not afford the fee and the petition called for it be reduced and for the council to abandon proposals to add booking slots to use recycling centres, she said.

"After they did this, winter fuel allowances were cancelled, immediately leaving people £200 and £300 worse off," Ms Mitchell said.

Comparing charges in other nearby areas, Ms Mitchell said Wrexham charged £35 annually, Telford did not charge at all, and Staffordshire charged about £40.

Having to use a booking system would put people off using recycling centres, especially if they struggled with internet access and there were limited office hours to call to book slots, she said.

"I've seen hundreds of comments on social media from people angry about all of this," she added.

"The higher the charge, the fewer people can buy into it."

Residents who do not pay will have their first green bin of October emptied, but will also receive a notice to tell them it will be the last unless they pay.

In response, Shropshire Council said ways to create income were needed to protect essential frontline services and 80% of English councils already charged households.

“Though the collection of garden waste is not a service that the council must by law provide, it is one that we want to continue to provide," it said.

"And as not all residents need or want the service we’ll now be providing this as an opt-in chargeable service to those who need or want it."

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