Council issue

mikeyeagle

Hello

My local council refuse collectors have now been on strike for 4 weeks, and this shows no sign of ending any time soon.

Because this is a public service funded by the council tax we pay, are residents legally able to arrange for rubbish clearance at cost to ourselves and bill this to the council, on the grounds that we are not receiving a service otherwise paid for?

And if not, would this change if vermin such as rats became an issue?

Thanks!!

Aylesbury_Duck

It's perfectly lawful to try.  Presumably each of you could send a letter before action and then take small claims action to try and recover your costs.

How much would it cost to put your rubbish in your car and take it to the local tip?

mikeyeagle

Thanks.

To do a tip run would theoretically cost only fuel and a pack of stronger bin bags. The issue is the time it will take me to rebag everything (most have split where squashed into the bin in the hope collections will restart), and get it there. I can't book in until next weekend as all slots to visit the tip are gone and I don't work locally so lunchtime isn't an option. We're a family of 5 and whilst we recycle as much as we can there is no space in either bin now and I don't want local foxes spreading mess around.

A large part of the issue is the lack of any information too. Unless I remember/ have time to visit the council website, the silence is deafening. As usual its about pay but apparently there are other issues too and so pay hasn't even been discussed yet. Other waste companies are now offering clearance of £6-7 per bin. I have one refuse and two recycling, both completely full to the brim. Paying an extra £20 for services already paid for seems unacceptable and at.this rate it'll be a few more weeks at least (when a similar strike happened in Brighton I believe it lasted nearly 3 months).

mikeyeagle

Just checked and Brighton's was oly a 2 week strike. Where I am its now been 4 weeks...

lincroft1710

One sticking point is that Council Tax is not a payment for services, which is the line any council will take if a claim is made for services not received. Also as you will have unilaterally employed contractors without agreeing this with the council, they can deny any liability for reimbursing you for the contractors' costs.


The contractors' costs to empty the bins seem excessive.

turnitround

We had a similar problem and got together with a group of neighbours and ordered a skip. All done and dusted within a couple of days and it cost each household £8. Would this worrk for you?

Jenni_D

lincroft1710 said:

The contractors' costs to empty the bins seem excessive.

I would perhaps dispute that ... what about their costs for the vehicle(s), fuel and labour?

Brie

Jenni_D said:

lincroft1710 said:

The contractors' costs to empty the bins seem excessive.

I would perhaps dispute that ... what about their costs for the vehicle(s), fuel and labour?

Likely some areas will have cheaper alternatives...maybe the contractors in that area just tip the garbage in any empty corner of a field somewhere?  Oddly enough I was behind a truck this morning offering a garbage collection service which was £7.50 a bin - but you had to rent their bins I believe.  Possibly just a deposit which you might get back.  Fortunately it's not an issue for us.

born_again

Jenni_D said:

lincroft1710 said:

The contractors' costs to empty the bins seem excessive.

I would perhaps dispute that ... what about their costs for the vehicle(s), fuel and labour?

As well as disposal costs.

lincroft1710

Jenni_D said:

lincroft1710 said:

The contractors' costs to empty the bins seem excessive.

I would perhaps dispute that ... what about their costs for the vehicle(s), fuel and labour?

If your CT bill shows a proper breakdown of how the CT is spent (mine unfortunately no longer does so), it would be interesting to see how much is allocated for domestic waste disposal and divide the amount by the number of bins you have emptied per annum. I am aware that CT is not the only source of council income.

[Deleted User]

In my area the council have opened a pop in for residents to take their rubbish to, which you have to book online. Thats ok if you have a car! Where I am its been 4 weeks and we have 5 communal bins for 10 households!!! rubbish is everywhere because of seagulls ripping the bags open. Im storing my rubbish in my tiny shed ( the old dustbin storage cupboard) . At the moment according to the councils website the blue bin will be collected on Tues 12th April and because of easter weekend the household rubbish wont be collected until 21st April !!