Homes hit with £102 'garden tax'
Residents of the Isle of Wight are now being billed more than £100 a year for garden waste bins under the highest charges in the country.
The island’s local authority has increased its annual subscription for the fortnightly service by 6.25pc, taking the fee from £96 to a “shockingly expensive” £102.
It is thought to be the highest fee in the country charged by a council to collect plant trimmings from the kerbside.
Despite the hefty fee, coalition-run Isle of Wight Council (IOWC) said the service was “excellent value for money”.
Elsewhere, councils typically charge between £40 and £60 for the service, but others do it for free.
Joanna Marchong, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This council has increased the cost of garden waste collection to the highest in Britain, burdening taxpayers during a financially stressful time.
“Councils should be delivering these services as cheaply as possible rather than increasing backdoor taxes.”
The increase was brought into force at the turn of the year without being discussed at cabinet. It was instead made via delegated powers and will be ratified at a budget meeting next month.
A council spokesman said: “While we try to keep costs as low as possible, there are a range of costs that are subject to inflation, such as staff pay, fuel, vehicle maintenance, gate fees etc.”
Council leader Phil Jordan argued that residents were not obliged to pay for the extra service.
“It is discretionary, it’s not an obligation,” he said.
“If you’re a unitary authority like us, you have to deliver extra services like adult social care – other councils don’t have to do that.
“Last year we received the lowest funding percentage increase along with Thurrock of any local authority in the country. We are £400,000 a year worse off than we estimated.”
Councils across the country have warned the Prime Minister of a surge in effective bankruptcies, with four in 10 at risk of going bust over the next five years.
Six authorities have issued section 114 notices in the past three years, meaning they have declared themselves effectively bankrupt. The most recent to do so were Birmingham City Council and Nottingham City Council.
Half of council leaders are also not confident they will have enough funding to fulfil their legal duties in 2024-25.
Cllr Richard Quigley, the sole Labour representative on Isle of Wight Council, said: “No councillor wants our garden bin service to be the most expensive in the country, far from it,” he said.
“We just sadly have no option because of swingeing cuts to our funding. This isn’t a case of trying to squeeze the pips out of people.
“If you look at the elasticity, putting the price up doesn’t really affect the uptake. But I completely understand that in a cost of living crisis, people are going to be pretty disappointed by it.”
The authority introduced the collection service in 2017 when it cost £60. In the years since, islanders have grown accustomed to price surges, with a 33pc rise from £72 to £96 being rubber-stamped in 2022.
Council papers show 10,361 residents currently subscribe to the service, which, nationwide, typically appeals to the older demographic. On the Isle of Wight, more than a third of the population is over 65 years old.
Sue Birch, chairman of Brading Residents Association, said the increase was a “further financial burden” for the older generation to contend with.
“The charges are disproportionate,” she said. “Elderly members say that it is far too expensive when compared to other councils in the country, especially when waste is collected every two weeks and hardly used during the winter months.”
Others have voiced their anger on social media. One Facebook comment labelled the charge “shockingly expensive”, and another branded it a “massive con”.
Last year, the Government considered unveiling plans for councils to be under a duty to offer a basic free service to take away garden waste, as well as collect food waste weekly.
It was part of a grand scheme for households to have seven separate types of bin – but the plans were shelved.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said homeowners should consider compositing if they want to avoid the charges.
