Liberal Democrats on the front line against 'tip' closure

6.32.00am GMT Tue 2nd Feb 2010

LibDems oppose tip closure

Fylde LibDems set up camp outside the Everest Road Recycling centre on Saturday morning and in less than an hour collected over a hundred signatures on a petition to prevent the closure of this important local facility.

Lancashire County Council are threatening to make cost savings by closing the Household Waste Recycling Centre at St. Anne's forcing everyone to travel 11 miles to a much smaller facility in Saltcotes, on the outskirts of Lytham.

Cllr. Tony Ford said "Closing the site is a crazy move. LCC Councillors and officers should be looking at ways of maximising its potential. Several users of the 'tip' said that they would happy pay a £1 for every time they used it - this would certainly be a cheaper option than traipsing across the Fylde to get rid of their Household Waste.

It is clear that some Blackpool residents are using a Lancashire facility to dispose of their waste and this is a burden on LCC taxpayers. Officers at County Hall should approach Blackpool Borough for a contribution towards the cost of the Everest Road facility.

Another resident eager to sign the LibDem petition asked why they didn't close the 'tip' on Mondays/Tuesdays when it's quieter and reduce the opening hours to trim costs. A much more imaginative approach is needed about waste and these artificial administrative boundaries should be abolished if it leads to more recycling. Here an opportunity for some multi-area working which would benefit everyone.

Cllr. Ford, who is leading the campaign to retain the Recycling Centre, added "Residents, whom I have spoken to regarding the proposed closure, are outraged. This is yet another local well used and well organised facility which is now earmarked for closure."

County Councillor Bill Winlow managed to get the decision on the closure deferred by a month to allow more time to consider the report on which the decision is based. He said "This is an outrageous idea because Fylde Borough has an excellent recycling system as does the rest of Lancashire and to sabotage it by proposing to close this site doesn't make any sense at all."