Councillor fears tip tax will create dirty streets (From Wharfedale Observer)

Councillor fears tip tax will create dirty streets

6:20pm Tuesday 11th September 2007 in Local news By Jim Jack

A COUNCILLOR who represents Pool-in-Wharfedale, Bramhope and Arthington is warning that plans to tax' people for using official waste sorting centres will increase fly-tipping.

The Government is considering introducing charges for both bin collections and visits to council-run tips in a bid to cut the amount of household waste being sent to landfill.

The proposals are contained in a DEFRA (Department for Environ-ment, Food and Rural Affairs) consultation document that was published this summer.

But Councillor Barry Anderson (Con, Adel and Wharfedale), Chairman of Leeds City Council's (LCC) Environment Scrutiny Board, fears a tip tax' could be counter productive.

He said: "I do not want to see this proposal come into effect in Leeds.

"Residents should not be asked to pay to use council tips on top of what they already pay in council tax.

"LCC has plans to increase household waste recycling to 50 per cent by 2020.

"The Government should be making it easier for us to implement those plans, rather than penalising people who recycle.

"This will only result in people looking for ways to get out of paying, which will inevitably cause more fly-tipping.

"This proposal threatens to make our streets and green spaces look and smell like Victorian slums."