Rochdale people could be charged for bins - and see a tax rise of 4.99% this year

Rochdale residents could soon be charged for new bins and see a council tax hike of 4.99 per cent.

The proposed rise as well as further budget cuts have been tabled as the council looks to make cuts worth £5.5m. This needs to be done in order to balance the budget.

Rochdale Borough Council has reduced its budget by £187m over the last 15 years. Now the council is consulting locals on three methods to cut down on spending.

It is expected the authority will need to find £9.9m in savings between 2026 and 2027. The new cost-saving methods proposed are charging £30 for replacement bins; changing the use of Middleton Crematorium; and cutting funding for bowling green maintenance.

The replacement bins would only incur the £30 charge if that property has already received the same type of bin within the past five years. It is expected this could generate £17,000 per year.

For bowling greens, £60,000 is spent annually by the town hall for their upkeep. Under these changes that would be cut by £30,000, with the bowling clubs having to take on the rest of the maintenance costs.

Middleton Crematorium has a 30-year-old, unreliable, non-compliant, and potentially dangerous cremator, say the council. So the town hall is considering three options for saving money.

The first option would see the cremator axed, but services at the chapel continue – saving £40,000 annually. The second option is to remove the old cremator and replace it with one that complies with new regulations, at a cost of over £740,000.

The last option is remove the cremator and use the space to increase the size of the chapel from its current capacity of 55 to around 100. This option would cost around £350,000.

Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Despite receiving our best ever settlement from the government, we still face a challenging budget situation as do other councils across the country.

“Due to the current economic climate and growing pressures on services, we need to save £5.5 million between 2025 and 2026 to balance the council’s budget. We must continue to ensure resources are used efficiently to deliver services in a sustainable way.

“This will involve difficult decisions, but we don’t want to take those decisions until we have heard what residents think so please do take part in this consultation, give feedback and tell us what is important to you.”

Details of the proposals are available on the council website at rochdale.gov.uk/savings where residents can also provide their views and find out other ways to help the council save money.

Those people unable to access the proposals online can get copies of the reports and leave feedback in writing at Rochdale Central Library, Heywood Library, Middleton Library or Littleborough Library.

Residents have until Sunday 16 February to give their views. Once feedback has been received, final decisions are due to be made on Tuesday 18 March.

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter