Green bin charge blocked by Huntingdonshire Conservatives

Conservative councillors at Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) are opposed to the decision made on July 18.

This means the proposal will have to return to a meeting of councillors to further scrutinize the decision before HDC's Cabinet will be asked to reconsider the proposal.

Councillor Jonathan Gray, opposition leader and leader of the Conservative council group, has strongly criticized the joint administration for its lack of consultation and what he described as "rushed decision-making".

Opposition leader and leader of the Conservative Council Group, Cllr Jonathan Gray. (Image: CCC)

He said: "The Coalition's credibility of being an administration that will listen to the public has been completely shredded by their ongoing refusal to consult on their proposal.

"Nobody voted for this scheme, and not one of the councillors now supporting it mentioned it when they ran for election.

"It raises serious questions about the legitimacy and democratic accountability of this decision.

READ MORE: Huntingdonshire District Council planning to charge for green bins

"As it stands, this new tax doesn't adequately assess the social and environmental impacts on the district, is missing huge amounts of detail on how it would actually work, and lacks the data to back up claims around savings and CO2 reductions.

"According to HDC's own data, 56,000 households will return their Green Bin - the biggest reduction in services ever seen at HDC.

"And the 24,000 households that may keep it will pay the largest hike in HDC charges ever imposed.

"HDC Conservatives vehemently oppose the introduction of this stealth tax, just as we have consistently done during our time in office."

READ MORE: Anger over garden waste collection charge creating 'new tax burden'

Cllr Marge Beuttell, shadow cabinet member for waste, street scene and open spaces, has also raised her objections to the tax.

She said: "This unwarranted and regressive tax is being implemented without any meaningful input from the public, which is deeply troubling.

"We are currently awaiting an announcement from DEFRA regarding the collection of food waste.

At the time of implementing the green bin tax, district council leader, Cllr Sarah Conboy, said she "wished there had been any other viable solution". 

The district council has previously said that it was facing a £1.4million deficit without introducing the new charge. 

Cllr Martin Hassall, executive councillor for corporate and shared services, said he acknowledged the proposals were “not going to be the most popular”. 

He said charging to collect the green bins would enable the district council to “protect the service for those residents who wish to use it”. 

The Conservative group is now asking for a full public consultation to hear from residents.

Additionally, the Conservatives are supporting a public petition launched by Sawtry resident Tom Gosling on change.org opposing the new tax, which has already garnered the support of more than 5,600 residents.

READ MORE: Petition launched to fight plans to start charging for collection of green bins

What is a 'call-in'

A 'call-in' is a statutory (legal) process which enables a prescribed number of members of the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Panel to request that a decision that has been made, but not yet implemented, be reconsidered by the person or body making the decision.

If the request for call-in is approved, the item is referred to a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel. The Panel considers the matter with the relevant Executive Councillor and Officer in attendance.

A meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel will now consider this call-in on Thursday, August 10.

For more information on a call-in, visit HDC's website.