General Discussion
The time is fast approachng to show the conservatives on the Teighbridge council that the 7000 votes against the proposed bin tax which was ignored will come back to haunt them.
A tax by another name which will increase year by year, cause increased fly-tipping and more smoke pollution with burning garden waste........
Use your vote...................
Where is the evidence? and what is the increase in fly tipping argument based on? It'd be nice to see some data.
This really needs substantiating.
Whereas the Teignbridge District Council should take recycling and composting seriously is this just yet more emotive Lib Dem scheming.
Smoke pollution from burning organic matter? That's fine asllong as long as plastics and certain species are avoided and neighbours are consulted.
What do they thing poors out of chimneys connected to wood burners, there are quite a few of them in our rural idyll.
Does 1263 know anything about gardening, or do they spend more than £35 a year on paying someone else to take care of their garden?
Are you wearing rose tinted glasses? Of course fly tipping will increase.
What do you think already happens to all the recycled waste they collect?
They sell it on, so they are making money from it, and by adding a (stealth) green bin tax, they will end up making even more money.
Recycling applies to inorganic material that could often be reused or upcycled, suh as plastics and metals.
Recycling involves processing an therefore demands more energy which in turn uses more fuel and emits more carbon dioxide. It is not as environmental as popularly belived and reuse is by far the most green option.
Procative legislation requiring retailers to use less packaging would be a better approach, that would result in less waste.
That's recycled waste, 'green waste' is not recycled as it is and remains organic matter, for example nobody recycles leaves, and through processing makes a new leaf.
The word is misunderstood, by members of the public and politicians.
It is composted, which creates a more valuable commodity. I agree with you that TDC's tax is about profit rather than the environment. The Tories have a poor record in environmental terms, but the Liberal democrats are no better.
They oppose the tax, but what alternatives do they offer?
I think we share the same logic - If what is being labelled 'green waste' is actually a valuable resource then why pay money to a body that taxpayers fund and which is supposed to serve the community but in fact would sell compost back to taxpayers as 'customers'. Putting profit before people.
Why treat it as as waste issue at all? Why allow it to go to councils? The Liberal Democrats just aren't radical or even brave enough to think this far outside of the box.
The Liberal Democrats' opposition is just that oppositional rhetoric, where is the solutions thinking?
And given their party's track record would they look at the council's finances and do a U-Turn and impose a tax anyway?
Are they so much better than the Tories? Not on Green issues. This just seems like an easy story to use as a means of defeating the Tories, just like the Warren Farm story. I fear environmentally minded people who vote for the Liberal Democrats, supporters of the Weeks family and the Weeks themselves may be very disappointed by what the Liberal democrats can, or choose to deliver should they be elected.
The solution is to organize local composting groups that are not affiliated to any political party. They needn't be, it is simply about community action. Others have mentioned how it could create employment for some and compost could be sold at a reasonable price or at no cost in return for a certain amount of volunteering time.
The Liberal Democrat candidates do not seem to posess the requisite community links and networking to having only recently decided to enter into local politics and join RYR's team.
In any case it is questionable whether these candidates would have the people skills and leadership qualities to facilitate community action. Judging by the comments by Soul of Devon in this forum which some have referred to as bullying would they gain the necessary widespread support?
The Cockwood break-away parish campaign which was dominated by the Liberal Democrat candidate seems to have disappeared after a very vocal start, how representive, respected and even liked are these people? If it's an iota more than the Tories is that enough?Aand does anyone really buy their new found sense of community?
That's the real issue, not compost.
For those who would wish to take a look for themselves at the options for waste recycling that TDC examined before deciding upon the £35 annual 'opt in' service, here is a link to the report prepared for the Executive Meeting of 15th April 2014.
http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=40602&p=0
Three points I would highlight:
The appraisal matrix (p5) shows the recycling performance level for the new service at just 6 out of 10. TDC have chosen a service which would yield a reycling rate of 59% when a rate of 65% is achievable.
The new service is estimated to bring in a negative variance (i.e. a profit) of £948,000 over the 7-year vehicle contract period (p10).
The new service is based on a take up rate of just 35% (p9).
The Lib Dems will scrap the £35 charge, placing the environment before profit and increasing the amount of green waste collected for composting in the district. It will also remove the burden (for those 65% of people who would otherwise be expected to 'opt out' of paying the charge) of the disposal of unwanted garden waste.
Gary Taylor
This is what the Conservative Westminster candidate for Newton Abbot, Anne Marie Morris, says about Local Authorities elsewhere that have introduced a form of "Garden Tax":
"The Government’s view is that local residents already pay their council tax and should not have to pay extra for this service. This, together with the Government’s concerns that these charges inconvenience residents, make recycling harder and increase fly tipping and backyard burning are sound reasons to oppose such a charge. I share this view."
So why is it that this argument is not accepted by a Conservative-led Teignbridge? And why has our Conservative MP now distanced herself from this issue here?
Gary Taylor
So how else would the Lib Dems generate income for us? Or will it be cuts in other services?
And for the record, below my letter to the Dawlish Gazette from last July. Despite this and many other protests (including those of the many thousands of people who signed up to the petition) Conservative-led Teignbridge District Council were not for turning:
"Some excellent letters on a burning issue in our midst has prompted me to write. Should bonfires be banned – or is there a better way of disposing of our gardens’ seasonal excesses?
On a ban, I sit on the fence. Who could take issue with a bonfire once or twice a year to clear dead leaves and branches? But lighting up damp grass cuttings on a sunny Sunday afternoon is a sure-fire way of getting into bad odour with neighbours.
Most people however prefer to compost their garden-waste, either at home or through the green-bin collection service. These popular collections have encouraged us to segregate waste to reduce unnecessary land-fill in favour of composting. But despite the environmental benefits, this service is now under threat. A £35 annual charge is about to be levied by Conservative-led Teignbridge Council for the collection of garden waste, leaving residents to consider whether advantage is being taken of their efforts to protect the environment.
Some will feel they have little choice but to pay, while others will instead drive to the tip. A few will try composting at home, however it is inevitable that much garden-waste will end up being fly-tipped - or going up in smoke.
Perversely, a Birmingham Labour-led Council is under attack from Conservatives for imposing just such a ‘Garden Tax’ there. It would be interesting to understand why their arguments are not applied here in Teignbridge.
But it is our household budgets and our environment that is under threat and this demands concerted action. Accordingly, a petition against Teignbridge’s withdrawal of free garden-waste collection has been started by concerned local councillors - and is currently doing the rounds. It can also be viewed at: SignMe.org.uk/963.
I would encourage everyone to sign – after all, what good can come from quietly fuming?"
Gary Taylor
67p a week? Whilst I disagree with most things Tory, I don't have a problem with paying this nominal charge.
For the sake of 67p a week.
Will we get an answer from Gary re. Mjcrpc's question?
What I can tell you is that our pledge to scrap the "Garden Tax" has been costed and that - beyond the removal of the profit element in favour of the District Council - there will be neither an increase in Council Tax nor a reduction in other services as a result.
Looking further forward we would like to work with the District parish and town councils and other local community bodies as appropriate to see if initiatives such as community composting (which has been suggested by another contributor) can help serve people better and help our Local Authority peg back costs in favour of other services.
You will note also that amongst the options available to Teignbridge last year (above) was a "Gold" scheme with a score of 10/10 on the appraisal matrix. This was discounted as it would have increased the overall Council Tax by £13 per household per year. My personal view is that a service with such a good environmental score should have been given more serious consideration, with costs weighted towards larger properties. Such a scheme would bring with it additional savings (as opposed to additional costs) that have not been factored in to the proposed Conservative model, for instance fly-tipping and black bin misuse.
Something that could be put to the vote, perhaps?
Gary Taylor
So please tell us more how you'll be managing services instead of chattering about a £35 garden charge and the cost of the carpet at the Manor. (By the way who thought it was a good idea to raise that subject given Richard Younger Ross cynically misused taxpayer money to lavishly furnish his Dolphin Square flat?)
If as you say you've costed services, how different will this budget be if the LibDems were running the show?
http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=40362&p=0
I think you are referring to the cost of the back stairs carpet at County Hall, which at £89 per metre cost Council Tax payers a total of £5,600.
Then there's the £20,000 spent by Teignbridge on posh new loos for Councillors.
A sensible use of public funds, would you say?
Gary Taylor
No, it's not but if that's all you can find to campaign on, it suggests the LibDems are pretty short on policies. Richard Younger Ross spent £1500 on mirrors, £1500 on a chest of drawers and accepted £8000 from the landlord of his flat which the taxpayer was paying for. How does that makes the LibDems superior?
But back to the question - council tax freeze, reduced government funding, no reduction in services. How does that work?
I agree with Mcjrpc.
Gary Taylor just avoids the real issues, such as Younger Ross's extravagant misuse of public funds, using Warren Farm for political points scoring, using Cockwood Residents Association and the Parishes of Starcross and Kenton for political games of chess, the incompatibility with their local Liberal Democrat stance on housing provision and development and the subservient role of their party in coalition.
He also chose to ignore Doc's comments the other day which were very critical of the Liberal Democrats apparant green credentials.
He had no comeback, his cage was rattled so instead he chose to bully that member out of here.
That is just cowardly.
But it seems it is his prerogative on here to act as inappropriately as he chooses.
So why should we trust him and his colleagues in office?
This may seem harsh but as politics has nothing to do with policy and keeping to manifesto promises and is now instead based on personality, with candidates making false claims about their character and community mindedness, then they should be prepared to have their integrity questioned, especially by those of us in the community who knew them before they suddenly thought they'd become community minded.
It sickens me, the reality is very different. And the irony of one of them being the' voice of reason' in a land dispute! It stinks of hypocrisy, take it from someone who knows.
I think you will find the answer you are looking for in this document:
http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=43621&p=0
Gary Taylor
Soulofdawlish,
You dont get it do you.? 67p/week this year , then yearly increases as the revenue stream has been implemented. It's a sneeky tax implemented by local councillors, who continue to espouse keep DEVON tidy messge while going against a logical arguement that fly tipping will increase. If they get awy with this who knows what the next money raising revenue scheme they will come up with will be
Absolutely correct, 1263 - although I believe you mean to address your comments to my right honourable friend, OurSoulOfDawlish.
Gary Taylor
Everything else goes up in price, why expect Council Tax be an exception? Yes it's a stealth tax but that's because the council gets additional government funding if they freeze Council Tax. It's all smoke and mirrors, the bottom line is if you want services you have to pay for them.
On the subject of flytipping, people who are inclined to do that sort of thing are not the kind of people politicians should be designing their policies around. Don't use it as a way of legitimising them.