Bid to scrap unfair £25 replacement wheelie bin fee for good
Liberal Democrats on Wearside are forcing a vote to stop the £25 fee for stolen or burnt out wheelie bins being re-introduced by council bosses in 2023.
Lib Dem councillors in Sunderland are forcing a vote of all city councillors in January in a bid to stop council bosses bringing back the £25 fee residents are charged to replace a stolen or burnt-out wheelie bin.
Following Lib Dem calls for the fee to be axed in the face of the growing cost of living crisis, Sunderland City Council scrapped the £25-per-bin charge in April 2022 - but only for 12 months.
At the moment, each household is entitled to one free replacement green landfill waste bin and a free replacement blue recycling bin if they are stolen or set on fire.
Now opposition Lib Dem councillors want the fee to be scrapped permanently instead of it being re-introduced in April 2023. Lib Dem councillors have submitted a motion for debate and a vote by all 75 Sunderland city councillors at their next meeting on 25th January.
The city's Liberal Democrats believe that the charge is unfair when someone's bin has been stolen or set on fire through no fault of their own.
The £25 fee had been blamed for flytipping in back lanes where residents are unable or unwilling to pay for a replacement bin.
Commenting Lib Dem Councillor for Millfield and Thornholme Julia Potts, who is one of the councillors calling the vote next month, said:
"The £25 replacement wheelie bin charge was totally hated by local people who had their bins stolen or set on fire through no fault of their own. The charge also meant people went without bins and couldn't get rid of their waste and recycling responsibly.
"The scrapping of this unfair fee has been well received by residents since April but I fear that bringing it back during the cost of living emergency and just as the Government's help with rocketing energy bills would be completely unfair and a total disaster.
"That's why I am calling on council bosses to adopt the Lib Dem plan to have the £25 replacement wheelie bin fee axed for good. People pay enough Council Tax as it is - the least they can expect from the Council is a free wheelie bin if theirs is stolen or burnt out."