Call to reverse three-weekly black bin collections
BBCPlans to introduce three-weekly black bin collections from 2027 have been challenged by a council opposition group.
West Northants Council - administered by Reform UK - voted to bring its waste collections in Northampton and South Northamptonshire in line with the system in place in the Daventry area since 2018.
It would see weekly food waste collections, fortnightly recycling pick-ups, and general waste bins emptied every three weeks from spring next year. Residents in flats, terraced housing or households using communal bins or black sacks will continue to have bags collected on a weekly basis.
The changes to the bin collections were called in by Conservative councillors.
Conservative group leader Daniel Lister raised a number of issues, including concerns around odours and littering.
He said applying the Daventry system to the highly dense, urban environment of Northampton was a "fundamentally flawed comparison".
"High-density housing and terraced streets face entirely different challenges regarding waste storage, side-waste, and vermin," said Lister.
The Conservative leader said asking residents a general question about whether services should be harmonised across the unitary authority was entirely different from explicitly consulting the residents of Northampton and South Northamptonshire on a massive reduction in their residual waste collection frequency.
A petition in opposition to the changes, launched a week before the cabinet decision, had now reached more than 2,000 signatures from residents.
An extraordinary scrutiny and overview committee has been scheduled for May 26 to discuss the decision.
Although the panel will be able to debate the matter and make recommendations, they have no power to overrule the administration's decision on the waste services.
Nigel Stansfield, cabinet member for environment, recycling and waste, said: "Our focus now will be listening to residents to understand their concerns and put the right support in place before any changes happen.
"We are not starting from scratch. We have real experience from Daventry about the varying needs of residents and we will use this to get it right."
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