Says it would help keep council tax down for locals
Hounslow Council has backed calls from the Local Government Association (LGA) for local authorities to retain landfill tax to help it keep council tax down.
The LGA has said money used from the tax should be returned to councils, but instead it was used to fill treasury coffers instead.
Councillor Colin Ellar, deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, said: “Thanks to Hounslow residents recycling more last year, £2.5 million was diverted from landfill tax, which helped us to cut council tax this year.
“But if we were able to keep all the receipts from landfill tax, we could an extra £2.3 million to plough back into the council’s budget – it would be a like green gold rush.”
The LGA said the Government had effectively taken £3 billion from council taxpayers since 2008 after successive rises in landfill tax.
Cllr Ellar said: “Our residents are keeping their side of the bargain by recycling more and with a new wheelie bin trial to be rolled out next month, we hope to further improve our recycling rate.
“If the Government played fair over landfill tax, we would be able to use that money for local people.”
Hounslow residents recycled 11,117 tonnes of food and garden waste– 20,823 of dry recyable waste – including cans, bottles and paper – in the last financial year, meaning a recycling rate of 34.98%.
Hounslow paid £2.3million in landfill tax while £5.977 million spent on waste disposal last year 2012/13.
June 19, 2013