Council senses victory in fight against Government 'poll tax on wheelies'

Added: 05/10/2007
Category: South Norfolk Council

South Norfolk Council leaders are sensing victory in their campaign against the Government's "pay as you throw" bin tax.

Last month, national newspaper and broadcast reports gave the first indications by reporting that a think tank, led by a former MP close to the Prime Minister, had said the idea was unworkable.

Some media further reported that sources close to Gordon Brown were claiming he would scrap the idea in October.

Since May's local council elections, Cabinet Member for the Environment Councillor David Bills and Council Leader John Fuller have stepped up their campaign against it.

They even got their "no bin tax" message onto national BBC and ITN news broadcasts, when reporters came to South Norfolk from London to feature the council's refuse and recycling service in action in Diss and at Ketteringham, just off the A11.

In his interviews with BBC Business Correspondent Hugh Pym, Cllr Fuller denounced pay-as-you-throw as the Government's "poll tax on wheelies".

Councillor Bills, who was interviewed by ITN's Consumer Affairs Correspondent Chris Choy, said it would not work and the council would not introduce it.

He said it now looked like the Government had been forced to listen:

"The electorate voted us into leadership at South Norfolk Council in May this year with a massive majority. Our manifesto made clear we would not implement pay-per-throw bin tax.

"That message has been carried on national TV News and quoted in the national and local press rejecting this tax and now it looks like we are being proved right.

"It is because Councils such as South Norfolk spoke out that the Government has had to listen."

In its report, the Times newspaper said on September 11 2007:

'The New Local Government Network argues in its report that introducing charging is unlikely to change behaviour and increase recycling.

'It argues that individual households will achieve only a small reward - less than £30 a year - for reducing the amount of nonrecyclable waste they throw out, which would not be enough to alter their behaviour.'

The New Local Government Network is chaired by Chris Leslie, former campaign co-ordinator for Gordon Brown.