Friday, November 23, 2012

Wheelie bins - residents say NO!

Karen Hamilton checks out wheelie bins in Sandwell

So the Labour council has got its grant to introduce wheelie bins and what's going to happen now?

We circulated all households in Perry Barr ward over August and September and received hundreds of replies.

Overwhelmingly, by 10 to 1, residents rejected the council's wheelie bin plans.

In other areas of the city surveys are finding opposition breaks at about 3 to 1. That highlights that our area is uniquely


unsuitable for wheelie bins.

Take Cramlington Road with about 160 households. One side is raised. The households are almost all accessed by quite steep steps. Many of the residents living up these steps are quite elderly. Some householders have carved out small parking bays - but we have seen very few of these with spare space for three wheelie bins.

What about the other side of the road? It's a little flatter and most households have created front drives. Many of these slope down to the houses. You'd think they would be okay for wheelie bins on that side and indeed one or two householders have asked for them. Think again. Most householders squeeze two cars on the front drive. The cars fill up the frontage. They might store bins by their front bay window or their side shed. To get them out, they'll have to move a car off the drive and push them up the slope.

This road is typical of dozens in our ward, especially on that estate but also elsewhere.Take Rocky Lane - 400 houses, some of them perched on top of steep banks. Or Charnwood Road - one side - about 30 houses sits entirely on top of a bank accessed by steep flights of steps.

Then there is the Yew Tree estate in Aston - Village Road and Yew Tree Road in particular. As flat as a pancake. Front doors on the pavement, houses terraced with very, very few side alleys. Every now and again there is a narrow alley leading to a path behind the houses. If they store their bins on the pavements the pavement will be blocked.

Labour came into power and rushed this proposal through without consultation. We are now promised a consultation.

We found no more than two roads in our area where residents might be in favour - and one was a close call. We'll be pushing to ensure every resident is asked whether they can manage the bins. We'll also be pushing to ensure that residents who don't have them don't get a second class service.

Karen Hamilton said: “They’re not suitable for much of this area.Whatever happens the council needs to think again about its plans to impose them on this area.”

Jon Hunt reports survey returns to Council
 Jon Hunt pushed the issue at the council's October meeting. He was surprised to be told that only 5% of households in Birmingham would be exempt. That's 20-25,000 households. Of those we estimate 8,000 in Perry Barr ward would need exemption.

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