“From next week you will no longer have two rubbish collections per week. You will now only have one collection on a Wednesday for rubbish and recycling.”
This is the surprising message received by Westminster residents in Queen’s Park in a leaflet from Westminster Council.
Conservative-run Westminster City Council have begun reducing bin collections to once per week, breaking their 2018 manifesto pledge to “maintain at least twice-weekly rubbish collections”. Their 2022 manifesto quietly drops the pledge.
Council taxpayers in Queen’s Park have already had their collections cut by stealth as part of the ‘phase 1’ food waste recycling program. Street signs showing the actual collection times have been covered up with signs directing residents to the council website, making it harder to discover that collections have in fact been cut. Street properties which had collections on Wednesdays and Saturdays have seen the Saturday black bin collection cut entirely.
A Council officer confirmed to Westminster Labour that this approach, which includes the reduction of waste collections, is being rolled out to 4,000 Westminster households, with further rollout planned across the city after the local elections this May. The exact date of the rollout for areas including Marylebone, Maida Vale, West End, Vincent Square, Bayswater, Lancaster Gate, Little Venice, and Pimlico, is yet to be announced.
Labour have long-campaigned for the introduction of food waste recycling in Westminster and the have Conservatives delayed for many years but are now delivering it in such a way that breaks their manifesto promise.
If elected to run Westminster Council in May, Westminster Labour will reverse the bin collection cuts in all affected areas and retain twice-weekly rubbish collections.
Max Sullivan, Labour candidate for Bayswater ward said:
“This week Boris Johnson praised Tory-run Westminster Council in Prime Minister’s Questions for their great services and good financial management. On both counts he’s wrong – having already wasted £6m on Marble Arch Mound, Westminster Conservatives have now broken their manifesto promise of keeping twice-weekly rubbish collections. Residents are furious.”
Paul Dimoldenberg, Labour City Management spokesperson and candidate for Hyde Park ward said:
“Alongside residents Westminster Labour has campaigned for years to get Westminster Council to bring food waste recycling to the city. But what the local Tories have done, reducing bin collections by stealth along with the rollout of the food waste recycling program, yet again undermines confidence in this administration and their ability to deliver on core manifesto promises. Vote Labour on Thursday.”
