Litter bin removals and reduced street cleaning are part of £8 million savings. Councillor fears decline.
The council needs to save £2.3 million from neighborhood services. They will decrease litter bins and street cleaning. The council might transfer buildings to the community and use camera enforcement cars. Garden waste collection charges could increase too.
Councillor Hooper is worried about the plans. He thinks the council’s plans are shortsighted and will hurt local businesses. He fears the towns could decline as a result of the changes.
The council considered new parking fees earlier. Some businesses feared lost customers because of potential fees. The council wants to improve parking turnover and aims to stop all-day parking in certain areas.
Colin Smith leads neighborhood services and said resources are limited. They must find some new savings because services cannot continue as they are now. They hope to coordinate better in the future.
The council removes bins to stop misuse. Some residents illegally dumped trash there regularly. Recycling bins are getting installed in some locations to encourage better waste practices.
Councillor Protheroe wants a bin review to assess the current changes. She is worried about tourist areas and suggests more education in summer months to manage waste effectively.
Smith stated they will evaluate bin removals and surveys will follow in the affected areas. He clarified that the plan excludes tourist areas because these bins are very important to those locations.
An alternative model appears for parks, though details remain unclear right now. The council considers different options in January and suggested looking for sponsorships. Volunteer groups could help with maintenance and flexible workforce options are possible if needed.
Councillor Normal has park service concerns and asked if the cuts trigger job losses. Smith stated they want to protect workers if possible. He said changes require one to two months of more work to implement properly.
The council, like others, faces budget strain. They cut services and raised fees years ago to address financial pressures. The council said Wales’ funding is insufficient and they need more than the extra £223 million. The council faces £559 million in total pressures.