Cost of keeping recycling centres open "substantially higher" insists Council Leader
Cllr Ian Thorn says keeping the Purton and Lower Compton HRC's open would have increased financial strain on the Council
Wiltshire Council's Leader has responded to claims of an attack on democracy as a row over the decision to close two Household Recycling Centre's (HRC) rages on.
Cllr Ian Thorn has reiterated that the proposed cost of contracts at HRC's in Purton and Lower Compton were significantly higher than before and would have placed even greater financial stress on the authority.
Earlier this week, opposition councillors accused the Cabinet of blocking their request to scrutinise the decision and criticised the lack of public consultation.
The decision is part of a raft of changes, that also includes three-weekly household waste collections.
Cllr Ian Thorn, Leader of Wiltshire Council said: “The council can confirm that the prices submitted by Hills Waste Services for the renewal of the Household Recycling Centre (HRC) contract represented a significant increase compared to the previous arrangement.
"While we cannot disclose commercially sensitive details, the proposed cost was substantially higher than the current contract, which would have contributed considerable financial pressure on the council. This was a key factor in the cabinet’s decision to explore alternative solutions.”
Last week, the Council Leader told Greatest Hits Radio he sympathised with the people affected by the decision and said the authority is seeking a solution to replace the closed sites.
A petition calling for a rethink on the decision to close the Purton site has more than 3,000 signatures.
The two sites are expected to shut next year.