Row over Renfrewshire Council's garden waste permit as Reform UK councillor hits out at scheme
A war of words has broken out over Renfrewshire Council's garden waste permit after a Reform UK politician branded the scheme "as unfair and illogical as ever".
Councillor Jamie McGuire, who defected from Labour to Nigel Farage's party earlier this month, has hit out at the charge which was first rolled out in July 2023.
The annual fee for the service rose from £40 to £47 for 2025/26 and will increase further to £52 in 2026/27 and £57 in 2027/28 after a pricing strategy was voted through in January.
Councillor McGuire, who represents Renfrew North and Braehead, blasted the policy as "nonsense" and a "stealth tax" as he took aim at the SNP administration.
He said: "The £47 charge for garden waste collection isn't new but it remains as unfair and illogical as ever.
"Introduced by the SNP-led administration in Renfrewshire, this policy continues to hit ordinary residents in the pocket for using the same brown bin they've always had.
"Let's be clear, this is not a new or improved service. It's the same bin, the same lorry, the same route but now, if it contains garden waste without a paid permit, it won't be collected.
"Food waste? No problem. Grass cuttings? £47, please. It's nonsense. This charge is yet another example of how out of touch the SNP administration has become.
"Instead of making life easier for hard-working families, they've chosen to impose a stealth tax on people who take pride in their gardens and their communities.
"At a time when households are struggling with rising costs, this is the last thing people need. It punishes responsibility and risks encouraging fly-tipping – problems that will cost the council more to deal with in the long run."
Unlike food waste, which people can continue to present on its own in brown bins for uplift free of charge, the collection of garden waste is not a statutory service and, therefore, not one the council is required to provide.
However, an exemption on payment is offered to householders entitled to full or severe mental impairment council tax reduction.
Responding to Councillor McGuire, SNP council leader Iain Nicolson, who represents Erskine and Inchinnan, said: "The garden waste permit scheme has been in operation now for two years and has proven to be popular with the uptake in permits maintaining at a steady level.
"The garden waste permit is an optional choice for those who own gardens if they wish us to collect their garden waste.
"There are alternative options which include taking the waste to one of our civic amenity sites or reusing and recycling within gardens as compost or mulch.
"It is not a statutory obligation on the council to provide this service but we continue to offer it as a service on the same principle of bulk waste collections which is also an optional choice.
"Councillor McGuire has been known to misunderstand what garden waste is and why we introduced a small annual fee. The reason for the fee is the cost of disposal of the waste which the council must pay an external contractor to treat and dispose of.
"These costs are not within the control of the council. Faced with a choice between a small service fee for some services or we use our resources to support the most vulnerable, we chose to support our most vulnerable unlike Reform which are about millionaires, privatising our health services and reducing hard-won workplace rights and benefits."
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