Council cuts back but streets will still to be swept

Kirklees Council has said that some areas across the district now face fortnightly rather than weekly cleans by manual road sweepers.

The measures are part of a bid to slash more than £1m from the council’s waste and street cleansing services.

But to make the impact of the budget cuts less severe, seven North Kirklees areas have initially been ring-fenced from the plans.

The centres of Dewsbury, Batley, Birstall, Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton, Mirfield and Ravensthorpe will continue to be cleaned each weekend.

A decision on whether these plans will go ahead is to be made at a Kirklees Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, March 8.

Another proposal to be considered is whether to charge residents £5 for Kirklees staff to take bulky items of rubbish and £20 for electrical items.

The council is developing a free collection service for items that can be repaired or used again.

Under the plans, residents would also be charged £25 for a replacement grey wheeled bin.

Council documents state: “Those bins damaged by the council or that are assessed as repairable will be done free of charge.

“In order to encourage residents to recycle and to obtain as many green bins as they feel they need to recycle it is proposed to continue the provision of these wheeled bins free of charge, subject to reasonable use.”

Kirklees officers are recommending that Cabinet members approve the plans.

For more information visit www.kirklees.gov.uk