Council says people receiving waste permits late were not inconvenienced

Councillor was informed of delay four days before scheme was launched

NO one was inconvenienced by the delay to West Berkshire Council’s waste permits being sent out.

That was the claim from the councillor responsible for waste, Dominic Boeck (Con, Aldermaston), this week.

Many West Berkshire residents did not receive their new paper permits – which are now needed to access the recycling centres at Newtown Road and Padworth – until the week after the scheme was introduced on September 26.

At a public meeting recently, Alan Macro (Lib Dem, Theale) asked when Mr Boeck first became aware that there would be a delay in residents receiving their permits.

Mr Boeck replied that he was told on September 22 – the Thursday before the scheme was implemented.

Mr Macro then asked: “Would it not have been a good idea to have postponed the introduction [of the scheme] by a week?

“Most people did not get their permits until a week after it was introduced.

Mr Boeck said: “We put in place measures to make sure people were able to access the two sites effectively and without undue delays.

“I also asked the waste officer to instruct Veolia to be lenient in that first week and accept that not everyone would have their permits.

“To my knowledge no users of the two centres suffered any inconvenience.”

The council has also confirmed that a planning application had been submitted by Veolia to allow the Padworth Recycling Centre to take household waste.

If plans are approved it could come into effect as early as next year.