SAY NO TO CUTS IN FRONT LINE SERVICES BY ROSSENDALE - DIYBINMEN

Nature of this Petition:
We the undersigned oppose the cuts in doorstep bin collections at farm, rural, outlying and hard to reach properties, resulting from the Special Meeting of the Council Cabinet on 26th January 2011, because of the negative disruption, cost and littering it causes to residents and all affected neighbours.

We call upon the Council to:
Reverse its decision to end doorstep bin collections. Also to continue doorstep bin collections at these properties, until and unless there has been fair, fully costed and wide ranging consultations with all residents who could be directly and indirectly affected.

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THIS SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN IS NOW CLOSED.

THE PETITION WITH 1,900+ SIGNATURES WAS HANDED INTO THE COUNCIL ON MONDAY 5 SEPT AND the council voted unanimously to overturn the cuts in bin collections at the full Council meeting on Wed 28th Sept 2011

PREVIOUS RESIDENTS MEETING ATTENDED BY 100 PEOPLE ON 10th AUG AND EVEN MORE PEOPLE ON 31 AUG.

Public Meeting Press Release – August 2011
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IN THE NEWS

Good news for rural properties in Rossendale

Threatened bin collections in Rossendale saved

'Laughing stock' Rossendale bin collection plans scrapped

Doorstep rubbish collections scrapped after 130 years

Council announces new plans subject to feedback being received

Lancashire Telegraph - Residents' fury at meeting over rural bin collections axe

ROSSENDALE MP Jake Berry Bin collection proposals are total rubbish Aug 9 2011

Lancashire Telegraph - Residents hit back as 700 Rossendale homes lose bin collections

Granada Reports - Rossendale Bins Anger

Channel 4 News - Rossendale scrapping doorstep bin collections

The Telegraph –Rural households denied home bin collections to cut costs

Express - Outrage of the families forced to empty their own dustbins

BACKGROUND
This petition opposes the cutbacks in household doorstep bin collections. These are being imposed in Rossendale by the council, without consultation or regard for the high cost and negative impact on residents.

Residents affected by the cutbacks pay high Council tax and have a basic right to have household waste collected from their properties. People living in rural areas are being unfairly discriminated against. These are valid reasons why cuts in front line services are not merited.

These cutbacks in front line services are likely to be just the first step. There is real concern that the council will go further in the future by having more residents handle and transfer smelly household waste to central collection points.

Thousands of residents from 700 properties in farm, rural, outlying and hard to reach parts of Rossendale who are having their bin collections axed and will have to take their rubbish up to two miles to their nearest collection point, known as a ‘dump site’.

Thousands of additional properties are affected and residents are opposed to the cuts in front line services and imposition of unwanted ‘rubbish dump sites’ nearby to their homes, to be used for dropping waste for storage and collection.

Waste has to be at the rubbish dump site by 7am on the day of the collection, but cannot be dropped off the night before, meaning residents have to get up at dawn to get there. There are widespread concerns that rubbish will unnecessarily blight residents around the collection points.

Rossendale Council claim they will save £75,800 by binning collections at farms and rural locations, however this figure is unsubstantiated and likely to be significantly overstated when the true costs of setting up the dump sites, changes to staffing practices and provision of car boot liners are taken into account.

Those affected by the cuts say they are being ‘short changed’ after handing over thousands in council tax every year. Many of the rural properties pay council tax of more than £2,000 per year but the council is cutting services with no redress for residents.

A council decision to introduce recycling to around 700 properties was initially taken by the previous Conservative council. However the current Labour controlled council is going further with cuts in front line services and seems uninterested in reversing that decision. Residents are supportive of recycling and are awaiting proposals from the council on a recycling scheme.

The council is claiming that consultations are taking place, but from the outset, continuation of front line collection services has never been an option. Many of the affected residents have not been fairly consulted and have raised concerns to councillors. There is a lot of ill feeling about the way this is being handled by the council. The council is attempting to claim that residents are readily accepting these cuts in front line services and impositions of dump sites, but there is little evidence of this and Councillors are coming forward to acknowledge that there has been an unfair lack of proper consultation before any decisions were taken.

Residents are in the process of organising further meetings. Check back here for details.

Please support your neighbours in opposing the cutbacks by signing this petition and inform everyone you know who has an interest.