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Charges for bulky waste in Walsall to increase

Bulky waste collection charges are to increase in Walsall after it emerged the service is losing the council almost £40,000 a year.

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Rotting rubbish left by the bin men at Bennits Close

The cost for picking up large items such fridges, beds and freezers is being revised by the cash-strapped council from February following a review.

Council chiefs say the current cost of £13.50 for five items is significantly lower than other authorities.

The new pricing structure will see people charged £15 for one to three items, £30 for four to six or £45 for seven to nine goods.

Walsall Council introduced a charge for bulky collections in April 2001 with the last price increase in 2010.

On average the service costs around £94,000 per year to operate, but in the last financial year it brought in £55,700 - a shortfall of nearly £40,000.

Bosses say they have compared the prices with other authorities including Sandwell, which charge £35.12 for five to eight bulky items plus up to 10 bags.

Environment chief, councillor Lee Jeavons, said: "Walsall's current pricing structure is significantly lower than other authorities and is currently costing the council a substantial amount of money per year to run.

"It is well documented that the authority has to save £86 million over the next four years and based on the level of demand in the first half of 2014/15 this increase will reduce the financial impact on the council and bring the service closer towards breaking even.

"We are, however, mindful of the fact that it needs to be affordable for our customers and Walsall remains the cheapest place to get rid of a three piece suite in the West Midlands.

"Statistics show that a lot of our customers only have a handful of items to dispose of and the banded pricing structure is a fairer way of charging as effectively residents with fewer items pay less for the service.

"We are also simplifying the charging structure as changes in the way fridges and freezers are disposed of means we no longer need to have a separate price covering the removal of these items."

The list of items covered by the service will remain the same. Items which can be collected include beds, tables, chairs, three piece suites, cookers, fridges, freezers, wardrobes, fire hearths and grates.

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