Petition launched over closure of Staffordshire tip
Campaigners have launched a petition against plans to close a tip in Staffordshire as part of £100 million cuts.
If the tip at Burntwood is closed, Staffordshire County Council would save £310,000 a year.
A tip in Biddulph, in north Staffordshire, would also close under plans but the remaining recycling centres in the county would open for longer.
The plans have been announced following review of each of Staffordshire's 14 household waste recycling centres, which looked at visitor numbers and proximity to other sites.
Summerfield Councillor Steve Norman, from Lichfield District Council, said: "This will be the second time in four years that the Conservative cabinet on Staffordshire County Council have attempted to close this very popular facility in Burntwood that serves a population greater than just Burntwood.
"Over 12,000 signatures were collected then and we will be ready again with petition sheets for when the formal notice comes out in the next few days. Only 5,000 signatures are needed to ensure a full debate at the county council meeting I am sure we will get that within three weeks."
Bosses at the county council felt that residents using the tip at Ring Road, Burntwood, had easy access to other sites, particularly Cannock, which relaunches as a seven-day-a-week 'super centre' later this year. They said there are also tips located at Rugeley and Lichfield.
Staffordshire County Council is hoping to launch an eight-week consultation into the moves from April 28. If approved, the changes would coincide with extended winter opening hours and a new standard approach to accepting carpets, mattresses and certain plastics. The council signed a contract with a new firm, FCC Environment, in September to run its tips, saving £240,000 annually. Other 'super sites' will be at Bilbrook, Stafford and Leek.
