County Council Consultation on Recycling Centres Closes

Published on: 5 Jan, 2019
Updated on: 7 Jan, 2019

By Rebecca Curley

Local Democracy Reporter

Petitions to save recycling centres in Surrey from closing have received more than 2,000 signatures.

The support comes as Surrey County Council ends consultation on the future of community tips as well as children’s centres, libraries, special needs provision and concessionary bus travel.

Residents had until yesterday, (Friday, January 4) to have their say on the future of the five areas the council wants to transform.

The Keep Cranleigh Community Recycling Centre open has over 2,000 backers who are concerned if it closes they will face a 20 mile round trip to the next nearest centre.

The petition on SCC’s website says: “Our recycling centre is again under threat of permanent closure. For Cranleigh people this will mean a 20 mile + round trip to the nearest centre.

“There would no doubt be an increase in fly-tipping and people piling up rubbish around their properties as well as people burning their waste, regardless of the fumes and threat to health.

“With the hundreds of new properties being built here there will be much more rubbish generated.”

Surrey has 15 community recycling centres and is considering three possible options which include closing Bagshot, Cranleigh, Dorking and Warlingham, Farnham and Lyne and increasing the number of days Leatherhead, Camberley and Caterham open.

Closing six sites would save the council £800,000 a year.

Responses to County Council Consultation on Recycling Centres Closes

Martin Elliott Reply

January 5, 2019 at 11:28 am

So the usual ‘propaganda’ campaign from Surrey County Council is well underway for the annual budget.

With press releases on current ‘shortfall’ and cuts/ savings over one or several years of £18-200 million, it’s very difficult to actually know what the targets per annum really are compared to the £1.6 billion to £1.8 billion it takes to run SCC services.

What it does mean is that the services being consulted on, whilst very important (all of them are), aren’t financially significant. Concessionary bus fares at £100k make a big contribution to that £200 million.

At least that’s a bit better than the Surrey Police & Crime Commissioner. Without even announcing the (increased) Government Policing Grant, hinted to be less than inflation, he wants to again increase the local precept (through council tax) above inflation by more than three times.

Of course, that is ‘only’ £2 a month, but whose income, be it working or a pension, has gone up by 10% this year.
Jane Hepburn Reply

January 5, 2019 at 5:44 pm

Fly-tipping has been going on with a vengeance since the Guildford tip at Slyfield Green has started taking only domestic rubbish from small vehicles. A casual visitor to Hascombe these days will find discarded truck loads of fridges, cookers and household rubbish along the verges. Imagine how the situation will spiral if even more centres are closed. What will become of our beautiful countryside?
George Potter Reply

January 9, 2019 at 12:06 am

It’s a real shame that our Local Democracy Reporter chose to focus this article on the recycling centres angle (none of which are being closed in Guildford borough) and not on say children’s centres (of which 2 and 1/2 are being closed in Guildford borough) or on companion bus passes for disabled people which are being scrapped.

We have covered the proposed closure of children’s centres. See: Two Guildford Borough Children’s Centres to Close and subsequent letters.