Richmond Council joins calls for Government to return landfill tax

8.30.52pm GMT Mon 17th Mar 2008

• THE Leader of Richmond Council has demanded the Government hands back money raised from landfill tax to increase recycling facilities in the borough.

Cllr Serge Lourie joined over 80 Council leaders in signing an open letter to the Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, urging him to honour a 2003 pledge to return funds raised from the tax. From April the cost of landfill tax will rise from £24 to £32 a tonne, giving Whitehall nearly £70 per household over the next three years. The Council claims this is money that should be reinvested in the borough to help drive up the recycling rate.

Cllr Lourie said: "If the Government is serious about reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, it must give local Councils the financial muscle to work with local people and reduce the amount we throw away. We have invested heavily in our new waste and recycling service and by working with residents, our recycling rate has risen from 33 to 40 % in the last year and more households are recycling than ever before. The Council is striving to become the most sustainable in the country and to be an exemplar borough in the fight against climate change. However, from April we will be hit hard by the increased cost of sending waste to landfill. In a cash-strapped borough like ours, which gets a repeatedly raw funding deal from Government, every penny counts. This is money that must be spent locally on improving the recycling service we offer to residents and businesses. That is why I have joined with colleagues across the country in calling on Hilary Benn to clearly spell out what will happen with the proceeds of landfill tax and honour the Government pledge to return it to local authorities."