Councillor Hobhouse warns of potential huge Council Tax rise

Rochdale’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, Councillor Wera Hobhouse

Rochdale’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, Councillor Wera Hobhouse has accused Labour in Heywood of playing a "very dangerous game" with Alternate Weekly Collections that could lead to Council Tax rises of "hundreds of pounds per household". 

Councillor Hobhouse said: “I have heard reports from Heywood that Councillor Susan Emmott has been petitioning on this and has had a big response against the idea in her Ward of Hopwood Hall.  If her petition is anything like her speech in Council last month I feel that the benefits of alternative weekly collections and the crippling consequences of missing our recycling targets have not been put forward – skewing the arguments.

“If you listen to opportunist, vote chasing Labour Councillors, you would think that we were cancelling the weekly service – this is not the case.  The fact is that one week we collect things for recycling like glass bottles, aluminium and steel cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, etc.  Then the next week it is household waste, adopting this service will mean we will not be hit with crippling fines if we fail to hit the Labour Government Recycling Targets by 2010.  The fact remains that if we miss these targets Council Tax will rise by hundreds of pounds per household – I bet she didn’t mention that in her leaflet, they are playing a very dangerous game. 

"Anyone worried by the Labour Scaremongering can be assured that this scheme has been run with huge success in the Pennines area of the Borough for the last year and that before this is brought in to your area I, alongside council staff, will be meeting local interest groups to discuss any concerns.” 

For more information on Alternate Weekly Collections please email Councillor Hobhouse at wera.hobhouse@rochdale.gov.uk