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WBC to close Sandy Lane Tip, Stockton Heath - 1 August !!


Dizzy

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Front page news today says the council's Executive Board have made the decision to CLOSE the Sandy Lane Tip/Recycling Centre in Stockton Heath with effect from the 1 August to save money !!!

http://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/articles/18520/1/Storm-of-protest-set-to-erupt-over-plan-to-close-Sandy-Lane-recycling-centre/Page1.html

There has been NO CONSULTATION at all with the all the people who actually use it and have done for many years.  Closure date is less than two months away so is there any time to get the decision reversed anyway ?    

I am DISGUSTED as I'm sure many other people will be when they find out too !   Shame on you WBC for closing the one and only tip in the South of Warrington which as been there and used by people for as long as I can remember !!

Not to worry though as after all there are two other tips over the other sides of Warrington and each are about a 8 mile round car trip from Stockton Heath plus time wasted sat in all the traffic no doubt.

So what now.... will we see an increase in fly tipping in the area ?  We will have to all wait and see I guess.

Not only that, but since the fortnightly bin collections came in a lot of people are forced to take excess bags of waste or the smelly contents of their bins to the tip in between collections in the warmer months because of damn flies.  So WBC you timed your closure to coincide with the summer months too, that wasn't very well thought out either was it !!

My rant is far from over by the way............




 

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Coffee... From what it says in the news link they are and a new one has been appointed....but maybe the council have to pay them to run it.

I can't find anything on the councils website which explains the reason for it all or the report by Cllr D Keane which was 'discussed' by the Exec Board and the only thing listed are the ?minutes/agenda decision notice? below which mentions nothing about the closure either only that a new contractory has been appointed from 1st August to 'manage the community recycling centres'. 

See point EB20

http://cmis.warrington.gov.uk/cmis5/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=FhwgQBHyiRiEPk4Z18Aer7BjmlQyDVFR0f6oCRxrI7mbn%2fzwX5x3vQ%3d%3d&rUzwRPf%2bZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3d%3d=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2fLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3d%3d&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&kCx1AnS9%2fpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2bAJvYtyA%3d%3d=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&FgPlIEJYlotS%2bYGoBi5olA%3d%3d=NHdURQburHA%3d&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3d

Gosh that's a long link.....

Maybe they will add more documents soon though.....

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Just found out today when I was at the Sandy Lane tip.

Not only the tip closing, but the Sandy Lane centre is too apparently. No consultation, no consideration at all given by councillors for the people of the borough. They are amenities, essential for the area.

Am I surprised?

No, not really, somehow we have been stuck with these no-hopers who are running the borough for a long time.

Rather than type our thoughts here, we should contact the council and complain. Are the local parish councillors going to petition WBC?

We should make our voices heard, but, regrettably, with this council who are not contactable and open to discussion, then I fear its a waste of time.

It's sad for the future of Warrington, but then, that's why Warrington is in the state it is today.    

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Where does Stockton Heath Parish Council figure in all of this.  One would have thought that they would have been told by WBC of their plans to close Sandy Lane waste and re-cycling.

Yes you would have thought they would have been told especially if, as MiddleC has said, the community centre building is also closing as that is where the PC hold their monthly meetings and have their office.

 

I have just looked and there's nothing about it on Stockton Heath Parish Councils May minutes and their June meeting was on Tuesday this week so no minutes available online yet.

It's another month now until their next meeting so residents can't even hound all the councillors in person until then which is a pity.

 

I would have thought that Walton Parish Council should have been told too considering the closeness and how most people in Walton use Stockton Heath Tip too (excluding all the people who already dump their rubish in all the back of course !)  Nothing on their minutes either....... and how about Appleton Parish Council did they know as all those residents use it too !

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... and well said MiddleC.  I tried to ring Stockton Heath Parish Council's number but I think it might be the number for the office at the Sandy Lane Centre and there was no one there.

Probably best to put it in writing though by email so there is a record of it !

Tell you what though news seems to be spreading quite fast on the grapevine and there are a lot of disgruntled people..... obviously the people living in the flats next to it will be overjoyed at the news though as they have moaning and trying to get it closed for years since they all bought their newly built flats.  Why buy a flat next to a tip that;s been there for over 50 years and then moan about it... anyway that's irrelevant, sorry. 

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Where I live, over in Norfolk, our local tip was privatised it now costs £6 per visit. The nearest free one is 17 miles away. Sure enough, fly tipping around the private tip is now horrendous. It's an old air field so people just leave the tip, drive down the runway and empty their cars. 

They should be caught and have their cars crushed or better still filled with manure... that would stop the lazy dirty so-and-so's

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Try emailing all local councillors, including WBC one's for this area, and ask pertinent questions.

What about the local press taking it up?.

Someone mentioned a "Save the Sandy Lane Centre" Facebook group? Why not?

 

It is really an incredible situation, but guess what, the land the site is on is earmarked to be sold for further private housing.

And that's what this is really about.

To hell with recycling, leave your rubbish at the side of the road or on any waste land!

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This affects more than just Stockton Heath and its immediate surrounding parishes, Sandy Lane tip is the closest WBC tip to Lymm, Thellwall, Grappenhall, most of Latchford and all of the Wilderspool Causeway area - and is the ONLY one accessible from many of those areas without either going through Bridge Foot or over the Thellwall Viaduct (not the best idea in the world with a trailer full of rubbish!).

 

This decision and the lack of consultation is absolutely typical of WBC's "north of the water, first, last, and always" attitude. The sooner the Cheshire parishes leave this failed Lancashire town once and for all, the better.

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Great to see readers starting to link news topics for debate on the forum BTW :wink:

Just think how many more comments there would be by now if it was still possible for others to have their say under the actual news items on the front page too though.... 

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For anyone who read it this morning and hasn't clicked again I just noticed that the news article has been updated since then and now contains the following additional response from Cllr David Keane explaining 'why'.    NOT GOOD ENOUGH REASONS !!


"Cllr David Keane, executive board member for environment and public protection, said: “This has been a tough decision but due to Government cuts in funding, in order to deliver savings and due to the various site and operational restrictions it has been agreed to close this site.
“We have also taken into account that there has been a 50% drop in use of the community recycling centres thanks to residents increasing recycling at home by using the black, blue and green collections which is great and keeps our recycling rates on the rise.
“However, in order to compensate for closing the site, we will be looking to expand other recycling facilities in the area including new bring bank sites and promotion of other existing services such as the bulky waste collection service and of course our kerbside recycling collection services.”
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Hi Dizzy

The closure of Sandy Lane site has been discussed by the council before, and I think it was then it was mentioned the site could be developed for extra housing.

Makes sense really, it's in a prime area for it, surrounded by houses on both sides. The land would fetch a good price on the open market, and WBC would pocket the cash.

I am certain this will happen, watch this space!

As for the explanation given by Cllr David Keane..........utter bilge.

Cutbacks or no cutbacks, I am certain the MP for the area David Mowatt (Con) will give an entirely different version for the closure if asked (if he is aware of it, and I doubt it)

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Is there really a need for any more houses around here though MiddleC ?  And what about the councils storage buidling on the same site, I wonder if that is being closed too.

As for David Mowatt, well I'd hope by now he knows but saying that he's moved out of the area now so maybe he doesn't yet.  I think he used to live up Walton Drag (Chester Road) so I wonder if he ever used the tip.

One thing I noticed in the 'explanation' given by Cllr David Keane was that he mentions the 'promotion of other existing services such as the bulky waste collection service'  but that is a service residents have to actually PAY for and it costs £20 (although white goods are taken for free). 

It's not actually a council run service though as it's a Liverpool company called 'Bulky Bobs' who collect the items and then they reuse and recycle as much as they can to reduce the amount going to landfill and they sell many of the items in their Liverpool based warehouse to low income families there etc.

Payment for collection is made by residents directly to Warrington Borough Council and they are the people who issue the invoices so I wonder if WBC they keep all that money or if they have to pay Bulky Bobs in full or part of the cost we pay.

Interestingly Liverpool City Council use the same company and have done for a very long time but they DO NOT charge their residents anything for  Bulky Bob's waste collections.
 

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As inkypete says, we have a council that sees Warrington as two separate places. The South as a generator of income, the North as the place it gets spent. 

 

But Grey Man, do you not have street lighting, bin collections, police stations and all the other services in the south of Warrington?

 

Yet the tax on properties is the same,

 

In fact it can be argued that because property price have gone up more in the South, under the current tax band syatem it is the North who are subsidizing the south

 

We do not have Police stations in the North of WEarrington!

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But Grey Man, do you not have street lighting, bin collections, police stations and all the other services in the south of Warrington?

 

Yet the tax on properties is the same,

 

In fact it can be argued that because property price have gone up more in the South, under the current tax band syatem it is the North who are subsidizing the south

 

We do not have Police stations in the North of WEarrington!

 

That would only be the case if it were true.  :P

 

I think there is a police station North of the ship canal which is what we are talking about. Having a largely unmanned police station / police car park in Stockton Heath isn't really enough to compensate for the ongoing and unmistakable council approach that sees the South as a cash cow and Labour voting areas as the places to direct the proceeds. 

 

The councillors for Penketh seem to be the main perpetrators, and there is undoubtedly a political aspect to this and other decisions. Linda Dirir won't be far from the removal of this service. 

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Having just looked who is on the executive board they are all Labour and none are responsible for any of the South Warrington Wards and none appear to live in South Warrington either (unless the addresses listed are office addresses rather than home addresses).

Anyway that aside... the officers report they based their decision on is available to read online.... and it makes a VERY interesting read.

A few little points and observations (for starters) that might interest people

1)  not only is Stockton Heath's tip closing but the report states that the opening times for Woolston Tip are being changed too.   Has this also been approved by the executive board too then ?

Here are the current opening time and the changes detailed in the report

Stockton Heath Tip/Recycling Centre        Currently open  8 am to 8pm every day            from 1 August   CLOSED

Woolston Tip/Recycling Centre                 Currently open 8am to 6pm every day              from 1 August    Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm     Weekends    8am to 6pm

Gatewarth Tip/Recycling Centre                Currently open 8am to 6pm ever day               from 1 August    unchanged


2) Consultation - it states 'The council completed a borough wide public consultation on it's waste strategy in 2008 which was approved by the council in 2009'  so that's ok then is it... we have been consulted then !?!?

3) the 'bidderd day' was held on 17 June 2013 (a year ago)....22 expressions of interest were received but only 2 companies completed and submitted pre-qualification questionnaires.
Out of these TWO companies one was disqualified as they failed to pass the legal and financial sections of the pre-qualification questionnaire..... So that left ONE company bidding  (although allegedly they did not know they were the only ones)

This ONE company indicated 'to deliver the savings it would not be possible to maintain the existing number of sites and hours of operation able to meet the savings needed though if they had to manage all three centres.  On consideration of the existing sites it was proposed that due to various site and operational restrictions at Stockton Heath that site would be closed.  In addition the overall hours of operation at the remaining sites would need to reduce.'

I'm not going to put any more and here's is the link to the full officers report that the decision was based on so you can read the rest yourselves..... happy reading, and if you print it off remember to recycle it in the appropriate place :wink:   Sorry the link is so long... the councils website always does that for doc links... just click anywhere on it

http://cmis.warrington.gov.uk/cmis5/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=kiOlygjq0tORJbqq%2bx28KybXp%2fOk6Q6eBXiIuVI%2b1HG7srsPIwolFA%3d%3d&rUzwRPf%2bZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3d%3d=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2fLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3d%3d&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&kCx1AnS9%2fpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2bAJvYtyA%3d%3d=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&FgPlIEJYlotS%2bYGoBi5olA%3d%3d=NHdURQburHA%3d&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3d

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