LIB DEMS DEMAND ASSURANCES OVER WASTE COLLECTIONS
With Gloucester in the grip of heavy snowfall again the Liberal Democrats are demanding assurances from council leaders there will be no repeat of the bins crisis that hit the city over Christmas.
Waste collections were suspended in Gloucester on Friday because of the weather and the city council has told residents they will have to wait another two weeks before their waste bin is emptied and will have to put their rubbish in black bin bags until contractor Amey collects them.
This time it is residents of Barton, Tredworth, Moreland and parts of Matson who will be affected.
Due to the forecast poor weather over the weekend Amey will not be able to carry any catch-up collections.
Meanwhile in Cheltenham collections were also suspended on Friday but residents who missed out were having their bins emptied on Monday with other collections postponed for 24 hours, including a collection on Saturday March 10.
Councillor Declan Wilson, Lib Dem deputy group leader on the city council, said: "The city council has told residents whose bins were not emptied on Friday that they are going to have to wait another two weeks for their bins to be emptied. This is unacceptable.
"It could get even worse if Amey are unable to make collections on Monday because of the bad weather and those residents will be expected to wait another two weeks as well.
"Some residents in Gloucester will be drowning in rubbish by then yet all the scheduled waste collections in Cheltenham have been put back a day next week so no area of the town is adversely affected.
"The Lib Dem-run Council in Cheltenham can do this. Why can't the Conservatives in Gloucester?"
Councillor Howard Hyman, who represents Elmbridge on the city council, added: "Local residents will want to hear some assurances from the council that once the severe weather has passed we don't have the same chaotic recovery as at Christmas.
"Residents in Longlevens and Elmbridge had to wait more than three weeks for their household bins to be emptied over Christmas.
"I had many complaints from residents over Christmas about the amount of household waste, recycling and food waste piled up outside homes. The streets were a mess.
"They will be in the same situation again on Monday if Amey has to cancel the collections again.
"People who live in Barton, Tredworth, Moreland and parts of Matson should not have to wait as long this time.
"The council needs to have proper contingency plans in place. The council has known about this bad weather for some time."