[trevgo]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/poli...llections.html

Looks like Our Eric has sacrificed his weekly curry allowance so that we can all enjoy a weekly collection again (we never lost it round here). I'd hate a 2 weekly situation, and I don't have a family. Always good to have an opportunity to hear my favourite minister jousting with the "Today" programme team. Wonderful this morning.

Humfreys: "Minister, where has the £1/4 billion come from? Have you been looking down the back of the sofa?"
Pickles: "That would be some sofa. Probably a realistic prospect in the Humfreys household, but not in Pickles Mansions"

Why did Our Eric spend all morning referring to "refuge" collections? It wasn't only on R4 either. Is he the new John Prescott?

[tysonstorm]

Originally Posted by trevgo

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/poli...llections.html

Looks like Our Eric has sacrificed his weekly curry allowance so that we can all enjoy a weekly collection again (we never lost it round here). I'd hate a 2 weekly situation, and I don't have a family. Always good to have an opportunity to hear my favourite minister jousting with the "Today" programme team. Wonderful this morning.

Humfreys: "Minister, where has the £1/4 billion come from? Have you been looking down the back of the sofa?"
Pickles: "That would be some sofa. Probably a realistic prospect in the Humfreys household, but not in Pickles Mansions"

Why did Our Eric spend all morning referring to "refuge" collections? It wasn't only on R4 either. Is he the new John Prescott?

Yup.

[frankie_baby]

This is nothing more than a disgusting con job from the condems amazing at a time of cuts they've suddenly found 250 million to do this however if a council actually shined up for this it could end up costing them big style, the money is only enough to fund it for 2 years but to get this money a council has to sign up to weekly collections for 5 years (where's the money for the other 3 years coming from?) And on top of that weekly rubbish collections runs the risk of reducing recycling rates and councils get fined if they don't meet recycling targets so councils are out of pocket if they go with this scheme and will lose votes if they don't go for this "populist" scheme

[Biffo the Bear]

I don't mind fortnightly collections to be honest - we've had them round here for years and it's just fine. Mind you, everyone recycles around here too - I suppose the people who moan about fortnightly collections are just lazy and lump everything in the one bin so it gets full up too quick.

[edEx]

This is typical Pickles ill thought out nonsense. Councils who went to fortnightly collections did so to allocate money to other spending priorities. By refunding that cash this government grant gives them extra money compared to the council next door who cutback on other services in order to keep the bin collections weekly. It's a slap in the face for those councils that did the right thing in the first place.

[Ethel_Fred]

1000 job losses in the RN on the day this is announced. Coincidence?

[Mandark]

Originally Posted by frankie_baby

This is nothing more than a disgusting con job from the condems amazing at a time of cuts they've suddenly found 250 million to do this however if a council actually shined up for this it could end up costing them big style, the money is only enough to fund it for 2 years but to get this money a council has to sign up to weekly collections for 5 years (where's the money for the other 3 years coming from?) And on top of that weekly rubbish collections runs the risk of reducing recycling rates and councils get fined if they don't meet recycling targets so councils are out of pocket if they go with this scheme and will lose votes if they don't go for this "populist" scheme

Spot on! And what about all that government talk about letting councils decide for themselves on how to deliver local services? That's one of the reasons why regional government was scrapped. When you think that community care across the country has been cut right back and how any extra funding in that area would have a great benefit. But no, they find some slush fund to be spent on bins.

[gashead]

I don't know the motives behind it or the hoops that councils have to jump through to get a share of that cash. All I know is it ain't ever gonna happen. How many times has Pickles come out with some sentiment referring to the re-instatement of weekly collections? If the councils really had any desire to do it, or gave a damn about what Pickles said, they'd have done it by now.

[ecco66]

Ooh, lots of cries of outrage from the left. There's a surprise. What a pity they won't resonate in middle England.

[wallster]

Originally Posted by ecco66

Ooh, lots of cries of outrage from the left. There's a surprise. What a pity they won't resonate in middle England.

We have weekly collections where I live - and it's a Conservative-controlled council. We also have very good recycling levels here too.

Shows what can be done.

[Mandark]

Originally Posted by ecco 66

Ooh, lots of cries of outrage from the left. There's a surprise. What a pity they won't resonate in middle England.

It's nothing to do with being left or right, it's about being sensible. Let the councils (and their voters) decide for themselves. The government's got (or should have) more important things to worry about.

[Biffo the Bear]

I live in Rushcliffe, which is about as Conservative as a constituency that you'll ever get - the rivers flow blue around here, and no-one complains about fortnightly collections. Just shows that it can be done.

[googleking]

So long as I keep my 7 days a week collection

[edEx]

Originally Posted by Biffo the Bear

I live in Rushcliffe, which is about as Conservative as a constituency that you'll ever get - the rivers flow blue around here, and no-one complains about fortnightly collections. Just shows that it can be done.

I'm now picturing what colour the rivers run in LibDem strongholds. Ewwww

[frankie_baby]

While I think weekly bin collections are pointless in this day in age I do think weekly food waste collections (we have them here don't know about elsewhere) are great and do get rid of the only argument the supporters of weekly bin collections have (the rats)

[ecco66]

Originally Posted by Mandark

It's nothing to do with being left or right, it's about being sensible. Let the councils (and their voters) decide for themselves. The government's got (or should have) more important things to worry about.

Err, they are. No one is being ordered to do it but funding is available if they so choose. It is an extremely important issue to many, so your dismissive attitude is ridiculous.

This will be much more popular than you seem to think.

[ecco66]

Originally Posted by wallster

We have weekly collections where I live - and it's a Conservative-controlled council. We also have very good recycling levels here too.

Shows what can be done.

Indeed, it's not rocket science.

[Ethel_Fred]

Originally Posted by ecco66

Ooh, lots of cries of outrage from the left. There's a surprise. What a pity they won't resonate in middle England.

1000 job losses in the RN today - yet they can find £250m for bins. So is the RN less important than bin collection?

[frankie_baby]

Originally Posted by wallster

We have weekly collections where I live - and it's a Conservative-controlled council. We also have very good recycling levels here too.

Shows what can be done.

With cuts being made all over the place wouldn't you rather your council spent money on something better than pointless weekly bin collections ???

[wallster]

Originally Posted by Ethel_Fred

1000 job losses in the RN today - yet they can find £250m for bins. So is the RN less important than bin collection?

I love to hear left-wingers supporting the armed forces.

Both are important in their own ways, but keeping communities clean and disease free seems quite sensible.

[ecco66]

Originally Posted by wallster

I love to hear left-wingers supporting the armed forces.

Both are important in their own ways, but keeping communities clean and disease free seems quite sensible.

Totally agree.

The left seemed perfectly happy and content to throw money about with abandon, only for the books at the MoD to be in complete and utter chaos and troops not given the right kit.

This is the mess that is being cleared up now.

[ecco66]

Originally Posted by frankie_baby

With cuts being made all over the place wouldn't you rather your council spent money on something better than pointless weekly bin collections ???

To you they may be pointless, to many more of us they are not.

I'd rather my council spent the money on this than on a Nuclear Free Local Authorities Project Officer and other such silly jobs.

[frankie_baby]

Originally Posted by wallster

I love to hear left-wingers supporting the armed forces.

Both are important in their own ways, but keeping communities clean and disease free seems quite sensible.

As I said you don't need weekly bin collections to keep communities clean and disease free you just need weekly food waste collections which also has the benefit of increasing a councils recycling rate so less chance of it being fined for missing its target

[frankie_baby]

Originally Posted by ecco66

To you they may be pointless, to many more of us they are not.

I'd rather my council spent the money on this than on a Nuclear Free Local Authorities Project Officer and other such silly jobs.

Ok explain the point?

[smudges dad]

Amazing how the Tory boys and girls have changed their mind on "there's no money left" so that Pickles can spend £250mm on a publicity campaign just before the Tory Party conference!