During the disastrous reign of Boris Johnson running the nation and that's all we want to say about him, a new act of parliament was introduced,the Environment Act 2021.
The ‘act’ unlike most legislation was brought on line in an almost empty format with changes by Councils to be included if they fitted in with the then secretary of state's beauty pageant.
Councils who wanted to lead the pack rushed headlong into changes surrounding part 3 of the act issuing stacks of different refuse containers and stretching the time waste is left lying around at people's homes sometimes standing four weeks between collection dates.
Farmer and Tory County Councillor John Riddle has proposed a change to try to encourage people to recycle more, extending collection times into his expensive ‘have another bin service change’ and widening Northumberland's borrowing ‘Black-Hole’ by a massive £21m.
Under the 2021 empty environment act publicity was run out to warn the public they may have to house up to seven containers and food prices would be forced up to cover the supermarkets constant use of single-shot plastic boxes and bags along with huge environmental levies for getting rid of their huge piles of waste. That additional charge to supermarkets has grown out of all proportion with shrinkflation of goods commonplace and it's Hobson's choice for most families to pay more and get less in supermarkets today.
With the Government so busy trying to save the NHS and strengthen our borders the number of containers has been moved to a maximum of four with that decision yet to be scrutinised in rural areas like Northumberland by MP’s.
Councillor Riddle is proposing four or is it five if you pay the ransom to have a brown bin for your garden waste.
Social media is red hot with people who have little chance of housing four or five bins and dozens of valid suggestions on what the county council should be spending £21m on.
But the real question asked by those who understand the vagaries of local government single status pay agreements, is how much will this seemingly unsolicited rise in self sorting of family waste force up council tax to cover the hike in workers wages bringing in this new scheme in?
Birmingham is in the midst of a bin strike that seems to have no end linked to an increase in responsibilities through their chosen recycling system. Those increased responsibilities must be paid for through the single status agreement.
It wasn't the fault of those on strike now working for a bankrupt city council that Birmingham hadn't honoured the same agreement for another set of their workers who won their case in the high court busting the Council through the result.
Council Tax in Northumberland is already one of the highest in the UK but which resident wants to pay more because a farmer wants to increase your debt and fill your garden with plastic monoliths.
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