Cost of emptying your garden bin set to rise by 31 percent from April in Northampton, Daventry and south Northamptonshire

Councillors are ready to hit West Northamptonshire residents with a whopping 31 percent hike in the annual fee for emptying garden waste bins.

Figures revealed in the authority's draft budget recommend the current £42-a-year subscription would rise to £55 from April for those who want to continue having garden bins emptied fortnightly. The increase would be the first for Northampton since the paid-for scheme was introduced in 2020 but those in the former Daventry District Council area paid £35 a year until last year while those in south Northamptonshire paid nothing until April 2022 when collections were 'harmonised', across the new unitary authority area.

The council has opened a public consultation on its draft budget for 2023-24 which it says features a “broad range of proposals” to bridge a funding gap, including increasing fees and charges aligning them with the national average to fairly reflect today’s operating costs and allowing the Council to meet the demand in critical services protecting vulnerable adults and children.

April’s increase — which means those in West Northants will be paying £15 A YEAR LESS than neighbours in North Northamptonshire — will come on top of a hike in council tax bills of up to six-and-a-half percent including precepts plus increases in charges for other council services such as car parking, planning and leisure facilities. The new charge, average hikes of around £10 month in council tax bills, ending of cheap bus travel will all start hitting people from April 1 at the same time as gas and electricity bills rise by around 20 per cent under the energy price guarantee scheme.

Council tax rises will be more in South Northamptonshire and Daventry as bills which were lower before local government reorganisation in 2021 are 'levelled up' across the unitary authority.

Other proposals include changing general waste collections in South Northamptonshire and parts of Northampton to three-weekly from fortnightly, bringing them into line with the Daventry area.

West Northamptonshire has put the draft budget out for public consultation before proposals go before the full council for approval in February.

Cllr Malcolm Longley, cabinet member for finance on the Tory-run council admitted some “tough decisions” had to be made after inflation and an increase in demand for services left the authority facing a possible £58 million shortfall in funding for next year.

He added: “In common with councils up and down the country, we are experiencing financial pressures. The challenge of bridging the £60 million funding gap left us with some very tough decisions, so we have produced a set of proposals that address the pressures we are under, while allowing us to continue to protect the most vulnerable in our society, and deliver services to residents across our communities.

“Your feedback is very important to us, so please take the time to tell us what you think, as this will help councillors make a final decision on the budget in February.”

■ People have until the end of January to have their say by completing the survey online or at libraries, or you can request a copy by emailing [email protected] or phoning 0300 126 7000.