Wolverhampton Tories launch petition against 37.5 per cent increase in 'garden tax' on green waste

Wolverhampton Council announced in its last budget that the charges for collecting garden waste bins would rise from £40 a year to £45 from next year. 

The move has been criticised by the city's opposition Conservative group, which has branded it a 'garden tax' issued at a time when many people were short of cash.

The group has now launched a petition calling for the council to reconsider the increase, which amounts to 37.5 per cent.

Councillor Simon Bennett, leader of the Conservative group, said that the timing and scale of the increase would place additional pressure on household budgets.

"This increase comes at a time when many families are already under financial pressure, and raising household costs so close to Christmas will worry many residents," he said.

“Looking after our environment should be encouraged, not penalised. Making people pay more to have their garden waste collected is the wrong approach.

“If the Conservatives are elected to run Wolverhampton Council in 2026, we will scrap the Garden Tax and roll out our plan to deliver this service.”

A resident who gave his name as Tony said: "I think this is really unfair, especially so close to Christmas. People are already stretched with food, heating and everything else, and this is just another cost families don’t need right now.”

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, the cabinet member responsible for waste services, said increasing financial pressures meant difficult decisions had to be made to protect vital services.

He said: “We have been able to keep the price of the service quite stable for the past few years, but we acknowledge that there will be an increase in the cost for next year.

“Like many other councils across the country, we are facing challenging financial times and are having to make difficult decisions to ensure savings are made to protect essential services. 

“We have tried to keep the subscription price as low as possible at just £2.61 per collection. For this price, we will continue to offer residents a direct collection and a trustworthy service.

“I’d also like to advise residents that they could split the cost with a neighbour, or if they prefer not to subscribe, garden waste can be composted or taken to our household waste recycling centres for free.”