'Tory Tip Tax': Staffordshire waste charges are rubbished by councillors

The majority of Cannock Chase District Council members voted to publicly criticise the measures at a meeting this week.

Environment boss John Preece said the move had been brought in 'without any meaningful consultation' by Staffordshire County Council on November 1.

Residents are now charged £3 to dispose of a bag of soil or rubble and £4 for a sheet of plasterboard at household waste centres.

At Wednesday's meeting, Councillor Preece proposed a motion to criticise what he referred to as 'the Tory Tip Tax' and said the move could increase fly-tipping, which the district pays £40,000 a year to clear up.

He told members: "The county council has not taken into account the detrimental impact on other local authorities. Not all residents are supportive and some do not care where they leave their rubbish."

Another Labour councillor, Tony Johnson, brandished a receipt for paying to get rid of a window frame, two bags of sand and bricks.

He said the county council was 'not listening' to residents'' concerns – and jokingly asked whether he could have the £15 he had been charged back.

The only councillor in favour of the charges, Conservative councillor Mike Hoare, said he supported them because all authorities face financial difficulties and have to raise money.

He said: "We all have financial problems ourselves. We are having to take real financial decisions."

A petition urging the authority to dump the charges was set up by Cannock Chase Green councillor Paul Woodhead a fortnight ago and has clocked up more than 1,100 supporters.

The fees are charged at centres including Cannock, Rugeley, Stafford, Stone, Lichfield and Wombourne.

Gill Heath, county council cabinet member for Communities and the Environment, said: "We have been liaising with district and borough councils about this change for a long time before it was introduced and we will continue to work with them.

"The reality is that we're not charging for hedge cuttings, or a couple of pruned tree branches, we're not charging for mattresses, electrical goods, or pieces of furniture, we're charging for rubble, large amounts of soil, sinks and toilets, or plasterboard, and it's important to remember this is the sort of waste most people won't have from one year end to the next."

South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson has rallied against the charges, which he has described as 'ridiculous'.