Call for public consultation on Rossendale rural bins (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Call for public consultation on Rossendale rural bins

11:00am Monday 1st August 2011 in Whitworth By Vanessa Cornall, Reporter

CONSULTATION CALL From left, Coun Dave Bradbury, Lesley Ham, Peter Ruane, Maureen Jones, Karen Ruane and Gillian Ruane in Whitworth

HUNDREDS of residents in rural parts of Rossendale who are having their bin collections axed have called for a full public consultation.

From today, around 700 households across the Valley will have to take their rubbish up to two miles to their nearest collection point, known as a ‘dump site’.

Waste has to be at the 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.

Rossendale Council expects to save around £92,000 by binning collections at farms and rural locations.

But those affected by the cuts say they are being ‘short changed’ after handing over thousands in council tax every year.

Lesley Ham, 57, of Crawshaw Farm, Whitworth, will have to take her rubbish to either Lobden Crescent – just yards from the Whitworth Square heritage site – or Mildred Crabtree’s Memorial Garden, which is a picnic site and beauty spot.

She fears the changes will devalue properties and is calling for a public consultation.

But Councillor Christine Lamb said the changes were agreed in February and are part of the £2.6m savings the council has to make over the next three years.

She said: “We have already met with most of the residents who have raised concerns with us via the current consultation process.

“In most cases we have been able to find local solutions which are acceptable to the residents concerned.

“We will continue with these meetings with individuals and small groups of people until everyone affected has had the chance to discuss the issues.

“It is important that we meet with residents on site as there will be different solutions in different areas.

"All requests for additional meetings will be considered as appropriate.

“It is clear that many people do appreciate our efforts to minimise the impact of these changes through these smaller face-to-face meetings.”