Sheffield city council has today voted to support proposals that could end weekly bin collections in the city and replace them with a fortnightly service.
The plans to move weekly collections were announced earlier this month after a public consultation into how cuts to the council’s budget would alter waste services.
In total Sheffield council has a budget reduction of £57million for the upcoming financial year.
They say scrapping fortnightly bin collections will save them £2.4m a year.
The final decision on whether to stop weekly collections will be made when the council’s budget is decided in March.
Sheffield Students’ Union collected over 230 signatures from students opposing the new plans.
A statement from the Students’ Union said students will be “disproportionately affected” if a fortnightly collection is introduced.
“It is disappointing that the council managed to completely neglect the student population of Sheffield.
“We encourage the council to thoroughly consider these proposals and the effect they could have not only on students, but the communities in which they live,” said Mat Denton, Students’ Union Welfare Officer.
Sheffield Students’ Union Officers attended the meeting and questioned councillors on the impact the changes to the service would have on students.
The officers and students quizzed the councillors on and asked if larger bins would be provided for student houses with lots of people living in them.
Councillor Leigh Bramall, Sheffield City Council’s Cabinet member for Environment and Transport said there had been “no specific consultation to date with students.”
A four week city wide consultation was held by the council last year.
The Labour proposal was passed by the council with all the party’s councillors supporting the motion.
Councillor Harry Harpham, Sheffield Council’s cabinet member for Housing said: My choice to support the fortnightly collections is that a third of our budget is being cut”
He said he would prefer to lose the weekly collections rather than see front line services be cut.
Local Lib Dems, opposing the motion, accused the Labour of changing their position on the fortnightly collections and waved previous Labour posters saying ‘Your black bins collected every week’.
Green party leader Jillian Creasy said the party support the broader motion but said Labour have been “dithering” over decisions since coming into power last May.
The Greens proposed the only amendment to the Labour proposal to support the changes.
The amendment said there should specific bins policy for houses with multiple occupants and to increase recycling provisions.
Lib Dem Broomhill councillor Paul Scriven tweeted from the meeting after the motion had been carried that “It is a done deal.”
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Perhaps the Labour Cllrs need to be made aware of the £250m Govt grant for weekly bin collections: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15118516