Kirklees Council’s controversial £4.4m bin replacement plan set to be axed as Labour group releases statement

The proposals, which feature in Kirklees Council’s draft budget that was agreed by the Labour cabinet last week, would see every single grey household waste bin across the borough replaced with a smaller alternative for an initial cost of £4.4m.

The council said that this would make a £131,000 saving in the first year, and a saving of around half a million pounds every year after that.

The matter dominated many of the questions raised at last week’s full council and cabinet meetings, with concerns raised that the move would increase fly-tipping and see overflowing bins attracting rats.

Others felt the priority should be placed on tackling Kirklees’ “appalling” recycling system and giving residents more options.

On top of this, all four of Kirklees’ Labour MPs – Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield), Paul Davies (Colne Valley), Kim Leadbeater (Spen Valley) and Jade Botterill (Ossett and Denby Dale) – have released a joint statement, calling on the council to reconsider.

Today (Monday), a post was uploaded to Kirklees Labour Group’s Facebook page reading: “Kirklees Labour Group are concerned that the proposal currently being consulted on regarding the size of grey bins supplied to residents across Kirklees would not achieve the savings suggested, or the recycling rate improvements we would all like to see, without other significant service changes.

“In our response to the budget consultation, the Kirklees Labour Group will therefore be asking that this proposal be removed from the final version of the Kirklees Council budget in January, ahead of the full budget being voted on for cross party approval by council.”

There is still time for residents to take part in the budget consultation here: https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/budget

It closes at midnight on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.