19 September (Part 2) - The bin fiasco. A postscript
There’s not usually much of a reaction to
Saturday blogs
but bin complaints would appear to be all the rage at the moment.
I am somewhat relieved to hear that I am not the only one to have become
disenchanted with recycling and who no longer washes tins. However I have so far drawn
the line at sticky jam jars but will harden my heart to that, especially now that Bexley council has given
the green light to universal water meters.
To the correspondent who thinks we are all being fooled and the bin tax will rise quickly, I
couldn’t agree more. It will definitely rise, we won’t see the early bird discount again.
My reference to a prime ministerial salary was aimed at former Deputy Director
Mike Frizoni who not only set out the plans for the Bin Tax but was also the brains
behind the parking regime which even Bexley’s own internal audit team has
labelled ‘maladministered’. The Local
Government Ombudsman has similarly condemned it.
Unsurprisingly Frizoni has taken early retirement.
For those interested in the history of Bexley’s Bin Tax, earlier reports are as follows…
Prediction that charge would be introduced - 22nd July 2014
New Waste Management Strategy - 24th October 2014 (Waste processing costs)
Bin charging policy announced - 16th January 2015 (Consultation comes later)
Cost of new bins - 26th January 2015
Bin tax debated in council - 19th February 2015
Tory councillors defend Bin Tax - 10th March 2015
First reference to public disquiet - 16th March 2015
Press Release - 1st June 2015
Bexley council lies about cost of new bins - 24th June 2015
About that last entry. They’d already said that the new bins would cost £1·166 million and the scrap
value of the old ones would only just cover the collection costs. Now the old
ones would cover the cost of all the new bins. Do they think we are daft? Probably.