Government support for campaign to axe sack tax

In a letter to council chiefs this week, the government has backed Labour's condemnation of Broxbourne Council's draconian purple sack tax, stating that the scheme has been illegal ever since it was introduced four years ago.

Responding to the government's support, opposition environment spokesman Councillor Malcolm Aitken (Labour, Waltham Cross) said:

"Ever since this sack tax was introduced, we have said that it was an unfair burden on Broxbourne residents. I do not believe that the scheme has ever been legitimate, and it seems that the government is about to cave in to our demands. Broxbourne Tories need to axe the sack tax now, before their scheme becomes a toothless laughing stock."

The development comes on the back of comments by local government minister Eric Pickles last year that councils should "treat people with respect instead of having a bunch of bin inspectors or bin police".

A ban on the use of fines would leave the council unable to act against residents who did not use the council's own purple sacks. The council recently increased the charge for each sack by 7% to 30p, making big profits for the council as families of up to five are expected to get by on one purple sack a week.

In its letter, government ministers confirm our view of the 1990 Environmental Protection Act. The ministers state:

"If your Council sets a limit on the number of bins or sacks that will be collected from a single property, but allows householders to purchase additional waste receptacles, you may only charge for the cost of providing the receptacle and not include a fee for collection or disposal of the waste - even if this waste is over and above what your normal waste collection system would allow a householder to present for collection. ... In short, councils cannot introduce 'backdoor' bin charging for mainstream waste collections or waste disposal. Such stealth taxes are not legal..."

The full text of the government's letter is now online.

Report filed 28/04/2011

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