YOU may have heard that I recently seconded a call-in of a decision to continue with plastics and cardboard recycling trials.A call-in is a process where a decision by the Executive or one of its members can be put on hold for a short time while it is challenged and looked at again to ensure the right decision has been made.
The call-in was proposed by Councillor Tony McMahon, who is the Conservative shadow executive member for environmental services and who is also standing for election to Somerset County Council.
However, we withdrew the call-in after receiving an explanation and more information from one of our most senior officers about what was actually intended.
It was disappointing to note that the Executive member himself did not respond – and interesting to note that it was the officer who wrote up the decision for him as he seemed unable to do it himself.
Despite what some may say, this was not a Conservative attempt to have the trials withdrawn.
Far from it.
In fact, we were anxious to ensure the Lib Dems kept to their word this time and actually delivered to the public what they promised during the election campaign.
We are now almost two years on from the 2007 elections and I clearly recall how the Lib Dems promised they would give people plastics and cardboard recycling – mind you, so did the Conservatives.
I recall speaking with one couple in Stapley who were already taking their plastics and cardboard to the recycling centre as they wanted to do their bit as good citizens and not wait until the council got around to it.
I told them that on this particular manifesto issue there was not a lot to separate the two parties, it was just that the Conservatives would do it quicker.
How right I have proven to be.
Two years on, and all that has happened is that the Lib Dems have started some trial collection rounds.
Even that decision took 12 months to reach and, the cynics will note, was finally taken when the Lib Dems faced a difficult by-election campaign in Comeytrowe - which, of course, just happened to be one of the first areas to be given the trial collections.
A lesson in ‘how to win votes and influence people’.
Fine for the residents of Comeytrowe, but not so good for everybody else, who, like myself, has to stack up the plastic bottles and cardboard in carrier bags in the garage until there is enough to lay down the back seats of the car and take it out to the Poole recycling centre.
Anyway, the point is that we are now in a situation where both the Executive and the Full Council have voted to ‘phase in’ the full roll-out of plastics and cardboard recycling across Taunton Deane this financial year.
Naturally, like me, you will no doubt be looking forward to receiving this service before 31st March next year.
So, when Councillor McMahon and I saw the Executive member’s decision to continue the trials this year until such time as the Executive takes a decision on the full roll-out to all properties, alarm bells started ringing.
It seemed they were only going to do the trials and nothing else this year - hence the call-in was triggered.
Now, I find that is not the case.
It was a badly-worded decision and one which lacked any explanation for councillors like myself who are battling to provide the best possible service to the people we represent.
It turns out the Lib Dems simply made a mess of the decision to introduce the trials, because they only approved them until 31st March this year and the trials would have been stopped, leaving people with nothing until the ‘phasing in’ began.
It also turns out that the talk of phasing in plastics and cardboard recycling is little better than a ‘con’.
All they are going to do is expand the collections this year to another 2,000 households on top of the 3,000 who already receive them.
By the end of the financial year, they hope - and the emphasis is on the word hope – to include a total of 20,000 households.
Now, given that there are 43,000 households in Taunton Deane, you can see that more than half of all households will not be getting the plastics and cardboard recycling service which they thought had been promised them.
The so-called promise made by the Lib Dems means the majority of households in the Deane - more than 50 per cent of them in total - could be waiting until 31st March 2011.
And, of course, in May, 2011, we will be having another round of Deane council elections which I am sure will focus the minds of the Lib Dems who will be desperate to ensure the service is delivered beforehand so they can tell you how good they are when they are asking for your votes.
