Havering Council budget cuts: Plans for bin bag collection limit, residents’ parking permits and solar farms revealed
Havering council leader Cllr Roger Ramsey - Credit: Archant
Plans detailing how Havering Council plans to cut a further £13.9million from its budget over the next three years have been published – focusing on income generation.
A financial strategy report, due to go to cabinet tomorrow night, revealed proposals including creating controlled parking zones across a further 20 per cent of the borough.
Leader Cllr Roger Ramsey said many residents had asked for parking permits’ to be introduced in their streets.
He said: “We are trying to find ways of enabling people to use our services in a less expensive way, such as encouraging the use of online services which are far less costly.”
Last September the council announced it had to make £60m of cuts to balance its budget.
But due to a “significant” increase in demand on services for children and older people due to demographic changes, in September this the council said it was facing a £16.3m funding gap over the next three years.
This latest report – published last week – detailed where £13.9m of the £16.3m will come from.
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Cllr Ramsey said other parties at the council had seen the proposals in advance, with the only suggestion being to increase the annual council tax increase above the current rate of 2 per cent, which would require a referendum of residents.
The report announced proposals to limit black bin bag collections, and plans to build solar farms and wind turbines.
The document revealed the council paid more than £13m to dispose of waste annually, a cost increasing each year.
The council wants residents to limit general black bag waste to three bags each week – hoping to save £1m over two years – and warned it would be forced to move to a fortnightly collection if people did not comply.
The plans also revealed proposals for income generation, including creating wind turbines and solar parks from which energy could be sold back to the national grid to help fund other services.
Cllr Ramsey added: “If it does come off and people accept it, it will be of substantial ongoing benefit.”
