Latest news with #TomRenhard
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City's four-weekly bins collections idea 'dropped'
Support has been dropped for a plan to make Bristol the first major city in England to collect black waste bins every four weeks. The Green Party, which runs Bristol City Council, put forward the controversial option - among others - in a public consultation in January to crackdown on food waste going in the wrong bins. The council previously said around a quarter of most black bin rubbish was food which could be recycled. Councillors will debate a cross-party petition on the issue on Tuesday. More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol The petition created by the council's Labour Party called for the proposed changes to be shelved and has been signed by more than 12,000 people. Currently, black bins in Bristol are collected every two weeks but a public consultation proposed a series of changes to improve falling recycling rates - including cutting collections to either three times per month or four. Many English local authorities already have three-week collections. Switching to a three-weekly black bin collection would save the council £1.3m a year, while a four-weekly collection would save £2.3m, the council had previously said. Councillor Martin Fodor, chair of the environment committee, said: "The four-weekly option was put in the consultation as an outlier for modelling purposes and I made clear it was always unlikely to go ahead. "Based on what we've heard and the strength of feeling that this has generated across the city, the Greens will not be supporting any proposals put forward to move to four-weekly collections at this time." Councillor Tom Renhard, Labour leader on the council, said: "It has been clear from the start that this policy is totally unworkable. "The Greens dropping it will be a relief to all, particularly those with larger families or newborns, who need fortnightly black bin collections." He added: "Waste and recycling collection is the one service that every council tax payer uses and relies upon; it needs to be protected from their cuts." The results of the public consultation, which ended on Monday, will be presented to a cross-party group of councillors who will decide on any changes at an unknown date. Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Bristol considers four-weekly bins collections Black bin collections 'may be cut to once a month' Bristol City Council
BBC News
11-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Bristol's four-weekly bins collections idea 'dropped'
Support has been dropped for a plan to make Bristol the first major city in England to collect black waste bins every four weeks. The Green Party, which runs Bristol City Council, put forward the controversial option - among others - in a public consultation in January to crackdown on food waste going in the wrong council previously said around a quarter of most black bin rubbish was food which could be will debate a cross-party petition on the issue on Tuesday. The petition created by the council's Labour Party called for the proposed changes to be shelved and has been signed by more than 12,000 black bins in Bristol are collected every two weeks but a public consultation proposed a series of changes to improve falling recycling rates - including cutting collections to either three times per month or English local authorities already have three-week to a three-weekly black bin collection would save the council £1.3m a year, while a four-weekly collection would save £2.3m, the council had previously said. Councillor Martin Fodor, chair of the environment committee, said: "The four-weekly option was put in the consultation as an outlier for modelling purposes and I made clear it was always unlikely to go ahead. "Based on what we've heard and the strength of feeling that this has generated across the city, the Greens will not be supporting any proposals put forward to move to four-weekly collections at this time."Councillor Tom Renhard, Labour leader on the council, said: "It has been clear from the start that this policy is totally unworkable. "The Greens dropping it will be a relief to all, particularly those with larger families or newborns, who need fortnightly black bin collections."He added: "Waste and recycling collection is the one service that every council tax payer uses and relies upon; it needs to be protected from their cuts."The results of the public consultation, which ended on Monday, will be presented to a cross-party group of councillors who will decide on any changes at an unknown date.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council approves rise in tax and CAZ charges
Council tax charges are set to rise and plans for a new city visitor's fee are moving forward. Bristol City Council has agreed its annual budget, with a 4.99% increase in council tax. Councillor Tony Dyer, council leader, said a cost-cutting programme of "efficiencies" would save the authority £77m a year until 2030. He added: "We propose to spend over £400m in areas such as parks and green spaces, delivering new council housing, repairing aging highways infrastructure, bringing new transport options online and introducing new homes for children in care." Increasing the city's Clean Air Zone charge was not debated at the budget meeting on Tuesday but was approved along with a raft of measures to raise income. Council officers will now seek permission from the government to increase it in line with inflation, which is currently 3%. This could see the daily price for a car rise to £9.27. The budget comprises £1.7bn in spending across schools, council housing, the harbour estate and public health. More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol The Greens-led council dropped plans to slash funding for museums, libraries and lolipop patrols earlier this year. The Lib Dem amendment to carry out a feasibility study into a visitor charge was also approved. This would see hotel guests paying £2 extra to stay each night. And the group's request to set up a donation fund for community organisations was passed unanimously. Two of Labour's proposals, to reduce the cost of meals on wheels to 4.5% and to tackle fly-tipping, were both approved. Labour group leader Tom Renhard said the Greens had removed some of the "worst ideas" from the original proposals. He added: "Even though you've been bailed out of doing most of the unpalatable things, this is still a bad budget, devoid of political direction." Lib Dem councillor Sarah Classick said her group would support the budget as amended and that although it was not perfect, it took a pragmatic approach to improving essential services. Conservative group leader Mark Weston said his party was seriously worried about changes to transport, libraries and waste services, with an ongoing public consultation into reducing black bin collections to every three or four weeks. Although the original plan to halve the libraries budget was shelved a few weeks ago, the service will be subject to a taskforce of councillors to decide how its future should look. This could result in some libraries closing in the future. Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Council saves libraries from closure amid cuts Council tax and CAZ charges could soon rise Bristol City Council
BBC News
27-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Bristol council tax to rise and plans progressing for visitors' fee
Council tax charges are set to rise and plans for a new city visitor's fee are moving City Council has agreed its annual budget, with a 4.99% increase in council Tony Dyer, council leader, said a cost-cutting programme of "efficiencies" would save the authority £77m a year until added: "We propose to spend over £400m in areas such as parks and green spaces, delivering new council housing, repairing aging highways infrastructure, bringing new transport options online and introducing new homes for children in care." Increasing the city's Clean Air Zone charge was not debated at the budget meeting on Tuesday but was approved along with a raft of measures to raise officers will now seek permission from the government to increase it in line with inflation, which is currently 3%. This could see the daily price for a car rise to £ budget comprises £1.7bn in spending across schools, council housing, the harbour estate and public health. The Greens-led council dropped plans to slash funding for museums, libraries and lolipop patrols earlier this Lib Dem amendment to carry out a feasibility study into a visitor charge was also approved. This would see hotel guests paying £2 extra to stay each the group's request to set up a donation fund for community organisations was passed of Labour's proposals, to reduce the cost of meals on wheels to 4.5% and to tackle fly-tipping, were both group leader Tom Renhard said the Greens had removed some of the "worst ideas" from the original added: "Even though you've been bailed out of doing most of the unpalatable things, this is still a bad budget, devoid of political direction."Lib Dem councillor Sarah Classick said her group would support the budget as amended and that although it was not perfect, it took a pragmatic approach to improving essential group leader Mark Weston said his party was seriously worried about changes to transport, libraries and waste services, with an ongoing public consultation into reducing black bin collections to every three or four weeks.
