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​​Black bags ‘were rubbish’

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County Hall

County Hall

THE COUNCIL is to stop its supply of black bags to domestic households in a bid to save around £83,000 a year.

The council’s Cabinet met on Monday (Nov 30), to discuss stopping the supply and plans to increase fees for garden waste collection from £38 to £41.50 per year.

It was highlighted that Pembrokeshire County Council was one of few authorities in Wales to supply black bags and to stop it now would save money straight away.

Cabinet Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services and the Welsh Language, Cllr Huw George said: “Garden Waste Collections started in 2011, it’s a subscription only service and to date we have approximately 5300 customers and they pay £38 for a 40 week period where there garden waste is collected every fortnight.

“The position I have for Cabinet is that we amend the charges as follows; to increase the garden waste collection to £41.50 per bin per annum from the current £38.

“If the total number of customers remains around the same level it would generate an additional £18,500. In addition to that if we could increase that number it might secure the price of £41.50 as we move forward through the years ahead.

“It’s £2 per collection which is very reasonable. For £2 a fortnight we can take away your garden waste which would secure the service moving forward.

“Every year we supply 52 black bags to domestic properties and this is not a statutory duty and we are one of few authorities who still do so. We have downed the size and made them thinner.

“It is proposed that we, if we cease supplying black bags to households from 2016 onwards, we would save £83,000.

“The reason we are bringing this forward today is that we are about to go out and pay for the black bags coming on so if we can save paying them it means that the money is with us now rather than looking ahead 12 months.

“There are concerns that people, if they don’t have a black bag, would stick things into the orange bag but I must say that the people of Pembrokeshire have been absolutely brilliant with recycling.

“When we brought in fortnightly collections, there were some people who were saying it was the end of the world but the people of Pembrokeshire responded remarkably.”

Council Leader Jamie Adams said: “The costings are based on the net effect of the increase, not dissuading any customers from continuing with the provision of the service.

“We are one the last councils to supply black bags, recognising that we do need to encourage greater recycling, albeit the public has responded very well to that.”

Head of Environment & Civil Contingencies Richard Brown added: “We have increased the price in each of the last three years and each time we have seen an increase in numbers of people wanting to take the service up. This is because people realise how good it is. The service sells itself.

“We are not anticipating a drop, if we did that would be counter-productive but on previous performance we would expect this to be growing.

“In terms of the black bags, in Ceredigion they haven’t had black bags over the last 12 years so it is down to the residents there.

“A lot of people have been critical of the quality of the plastic bags which I would say are standard industry bags but I wouldn’t anticipate general disobedience from the public because we stopped supplying them with black bags.”

Cllr Jamie Adams said that this was part of a consultation process and added that members of the public had said that the council don’t need to supply black bags.

Cllr Alison Lee said: “I really don’t think this is going to be an issue and I think it would encourage more recycling and as Huw already said, the bags weren’t that good anyway.”

Cllr Huw George replied: “They were rubbish.”

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Tomos

    December 3, 2015 at 7:52 am

    just enough to either get a Porsche or to hand out a few speciall allowances to councillors as an inducement to join the IPiGs 🙁

  2. MilfordMatt

    December 3, 2015 at 2:22 pm

    Make the saving on bin bags now – we are privileged in Pembrokeshire with a number of services which other areas do not get.

    I would rather be paying for my bin bags and retaining essential services than getting “free” bin bags and seeing cuts in other areas.

  3. Owen

    December 4, 2015 at 1:00 am

    What do I put my house hold rubbish in then as your not supplying black bags,and your soon to go to three weekly collection?
    Whilst I’m at it if you cut down on the number of unnecessary council vehicles running around needlessly the council could save thousands of pounds per year, also cut out personal car loans to staff who are already over paid for the job that they purport to do. !!

  4. Tomos

    December 4, 2015 at 9:19 pm

    @ MilfordMatt:
    guessing you’re a member of IPPG or a senior council official if you believe that bilge that you’re spouting !

  5. ieuan

    December 6, 2015 at 6:38 pm

    Once again the working man is hit by the Idiots in the Ivory tower.

    watch a increase in dumping of waste anywhere people can dump it

  6. Mark James

    January 3, 2016 at 8:10 pm

    Why not use wheelie bins like just about every other council in the western world?

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Crime

Disqualified driver jailed for ferry offence in Pembroke Dock

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A MECHANICAL engineer has been jailed after he drove a BMW off the Pembroke Dock ferry despite being a disqualified driver.

James Phillips, who was disqualified from driving in 2022 and again in October 2023, was seen driving a vehicle off the ferry into Pembroke Dock just before 1:00 am on November 11.

This week, Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told District Judge Mark Layton that Phillips, 35, claimed during a police interview that he believed his disqualification had ended. However, in court, he alleged he had arranged for another person to drive the car off the ferry.

“If he believed his disqualification had ended, why arrange for someone to come and collect the car?” questioned Ms Vaughan.

Phillips claimed he’d gone to Ireland to purchase the car for his partner, arranging for it to be driven onto the ferry, but the driver failed to assist in Pembroke Dock, prompting Phillips to drive. Officers on duty at the port witnessed the incident.

Judge Layton, after considering the facts, sentenced Phillips to eight weeks’ custody. Phillips, of Gerdd Lingfield, Whitland, will serve half in custody and the remainder on post-sentence supervision. He was ordered to pay a £154 court surcharge, £85 costs, and was disqualified from driving for 28 months.

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Crime

Beach ‘scuffle’ leads to charges after cannabis smell

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WHEN police officers detected what they believed to be cannabis emanating from a couple walking along the beach at Tenby, they requested an on-the-spot search.

This week, District Judge Mark Layton viewed video footage of what officers described as a “scuffle” that broke out when the couple were informed of the search.

Jasmin McNally, 33, and Darren Hopkins, 40, were seen walking near South Beach, Tenby, in the early hours of October 24.

Body-worn footage showed officers stating that, due to the smell of cannabis, they wished to conduct a search. A scuffle then ensued, leading to the couple running toward the South Beach car park.

McNally and Hopkins, of Miles Court Cottages, Leominster, denied assaulting an emergency worker by beating and obstructing a police officer in the execution of their duty. Both defendants chose to represent themselves and elected a Crown Court trial. They will next appear before Swansea Crown Court on December 13.

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News

Elderly woman to face judge for animal neglect charges

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AN 80-year-old woman is to be brought before a district judge charged with causing unnecessary suffering to 11 donkeys and a pony.

Elizabeth Palmer is accused of failing to provide the animals with adequate and appropriate farrier care at The Retreat, Llethr Uchaf, Crymych, between September 5, 2023, and March 21, 2024. She is further charged with failing to ensure that the animals were kept in a suitable environment with an appropriate diet, adequate dental care, healthy coats, and protection from pain and injury.

Palmer was scheduled to appear before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday; however, solicitor Kevin Withey, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, informed the court that she had recently been involved in a road traffic collision and suffered a fractured sternum. The matter was subsequently adjourned for two weeks.

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