Hope for North Hampshire residents over Newbury tip
Proposals will be considered over extending the permit scheme
NORTH Hampshire residents may be able to continue using the Newbury tip in August after it was revealed that Hampshire County Council (HCC) was considering proposals to extend the permit scheme for another year.
From August 1, 5,000 North Hampshire households faced a 30-mile round trip to their nearest recycling centre in Hampshire after HCC decided to stop paying an annual £170,000 fee to West Berkshire Council which had allowed North Hampshire residents to use the Newtown Road tip.
This decision caused uproar, with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) leader Ken Rhatigan labelling it “a huge slap in the face” for North Hampshire residents and that it went against HCC’s self-declared climate emergency.
That decision may now be overturned after it was announced that recommendations have been made to enter into a further one-year arrangement with WBC.
The annual £170,000 payment would be jointly funded by HCC and BDBC, with each authority paying £85,000.
There is also a proposal for a review of the feasibility of a household waste recycling centre (HWRC) in Kingsclere, which would grant the North Hampshire residents a local tip within the county border.
A final decision on the proposals will be made by HCC leader Keith Mans on Wednesday morning.
Mr Mans said the high demand at the council’s HWRCs across the county was making it difficult for all residents to be able to access their nearest HWRC and extending the permit scheme would help alleviate these issues.
He said: “With new Covid-safe measures in place at the HWRCs, we’ve needed to manage access through a booking system, limiting repeat visits and doing our best to make sure residents can gain access to an HWRC slot if they need to.
“After some initial adjustments, the booking system is now working well.
“However, we know that demand is exceptionally high at the sites serving the north and north west of the county, and that it can be more difficult for people to book a slot at the HWRCs in that area.
“Therefore, at my Policy and Resources Decision Day on July 29, I will be considering proposals which could see the permit scheme extended for one more year – allowing residents with access permits in North West Hampshire to continue to use West Berkshire’s Newtown Road HWRC.”
