Labour Value Cost of Three Week Rubbish Strike at 27p per Person

3.04.31pm GMT Fri 29th Sep 2006

Councillor Martin Newton holding 27p in front of his wheelie bin

Haringey Labour have penalised Haringey Accord for the three weeks that residents spent without rubbish collections - to the tune of just 27p per resident. Lib Dem councillors are asking for an explanation as to why stricter penalties have not been applied.

Lib Dem councillors have discovered that the refuse collection company has been ordered to pay just £60,000 in penalties for the three weeks residents went without rubbish collections. This works out at 27p per resident living in the borough. Haringey's budget shows that its net spending on rubbish collection this year is estimated to be some £13 million.[1]

Councillor Newton comments: "This really is a slap in the face to the residents of the borough. We can't expect to be receiving value for money when contracts are so poorly managed. It was a disgrace that residents had to endure three weeks of smelly, unsightly rubbish building up in the middle of the hottest summer for years.

"This just adds insult to injury - Haringey spend £750,000 every three weeks on rubbish collection, and to claim back just £60,000 is not good enough. If provision was not made for tougher penalties in the first place, then Labour have only themselves to blame. Taxpayers will rightly be asking why they are receiving such poor value for money from Labour."

ENDS

Notes to editors

Haringey is estimated to have a population of 224,500.[2] 60000 / 224,500 = 0.267, or 27p per resident.

[1] http://www.haringey.gov.uk/haringey_council_budget_2006_07.pdf page 3

[2] http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/news_and_events/fact_file/statistics/population_estimates.htm