Thousands back calls for Purton Recycling Centre to stay open
Wiltshire Council say the decision to close comes in the wake of unaffordable contract costs
The leader of Wiltshire Council says he sympathises with people in the Purton area who are frustrated at the decision to close a nearby Household Recycling Centre (HRC).
The closure of the Purton site was announced earlier this week, alongside the Lower Compton centre - both of which are not owned by Wiltshire Council.
It was part of a raft of waste and recycling changes the council confirmed in a bid to deliver a balanced budget.
In response, an online petition has been launched in a bid to save the Purton site, with petitioners saying that they face 90-minute round trips to other facilities without it.
After being launched on 10th December, the petition had over 1,300 signatures by the following afternoon.
Cllr Ian Thorn told us that seven waste contracts were coming to an end at the same time - but that the proposed cost of maintaining the Purton and Lower Compton services was "utterly impossible", describing them as "eye wateringly high".
"We would have had to have gone to government asked for them to allow us to increase our Council tax beyond the legal limit or to try and capitalise the cost, so we couldn't possibly do that," he said.
Authority's are permitted to raise Council Tax by a maximum of 5% on a yearly basis, without permission from central Government.
Cllr Thorn said he recognises the disappointment of local people: "The Lower Compton site is about 5 minutes from where I live. It's my site. I will have to further down to Devizes."
He insisted the Council is seeking a solution for people living in the North of the county, but reiterated his legal obligation to deliver a balanced budget.
The Council Leader told us he is happy to meet with people living in Cricklade and Purton to discuss the reasons for the decision, saying that is something they deserve as people paying for the Council and the services it provides.
He admitted that if he lived in those areas, he'd likely sign the petition as he wouldn't want to be inconvenienced either.
He stressed the financial pressure of the situation, but said the challenge for the Council is ensuring an alternative service is available as quickly as possible.