Shropshire food waste collection 'too expensive' for councillors

A Shropshire councillor has insisted councillors in the market towns of Ludlow, Church Stretton and Craven Arms were offered the chance to take on the running of a weekly food waste collection service before it was axed.

Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire councillor for Ludlow South, said councillors in Ludlow had been put off running the weekly collections due to the estimated £69,000 cost - which would have meant significant increases in tax for residents. He said councillors in Craven Arms and Church Stretton had shown no interest in contributing to the running of the service.

The popular collections, which saw food waste picked up from the kerbside and sent to be processed at the biodigester at Coder Road in Ludlow, are being axed by Shropshire Council as part of a cost-cutting measure.

Instead waste will be collected fortnightly and taken to a composting plant in Market Drayton.

Councillor Taylor-Smith made the comments after members of Ludlow Town Council's policy and finance committee claimed they had not received any contact from the company running the biodigester about taking on the service.

Councillor Taylor-Smith said the issue had been raised through meetings with Ludlow Town Council and also at the July meeting of Ludlow and Clee local joint committee.

He said: "We did discuss this with the town council in Ludlow and did give them the option of taking on food waste collections. But I think to raise the sort of money the town council would have to put its precept up by 15 or 20 per cent."