The Department for Communities and Local Government has responded to enquiries from Simon Kirby, the Conservative MP for Brighton and Kemptown, regarding Brighton and Hove City Council’s recycling rates, placing it among the bottom 25 councils in the country.
IN a question to Kris Hopkins, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Mr Kirby enquired as to the rate attained by the City Council for the recycling of household waste and asked him to compare this to the rates of other local authorities.
In his response, the Local Government Minister explained that in 2013-14 Brighton and Hove City Council had a recycling rate of 26 per cent, among the lowest 25 in England.
The recycling rate is calculated as the percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting, and Brighton and Hove’s rate is considerably lower than those of other coastal towns, with Bournemouth and Southend-on-Sea each recycling around half of their household waste.
Commenting on the revelations, Mr Kirby said: “These figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show what many of my constituents have been telling me, that the City Council has been failing to drive forward its recycling agenda and that its refuse collection reforms often actively discourage recycling.
“I have been informed that the Council has been provided with additional financial support from the Government to help improve recycling rates, and I hope that by using this funding correctly, this rate will begin to increase.”
The Department for Communities and Local Government provided the following answer:
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of the rate of recycling household waste by (a) Brighton and Hove City Council and (b) other local authorities; and if he will make a statement. (217790)
Tabled on: December 9, 2014
Answer:
Kris Hopkins:
Recycling statistics are collected by DEFRA. In 2013-14, Brighton and Hove Council had a recycling rate (percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting) of 26 per cent. This is amongst the lowest 25 councils in England.
To place this in context and to compare with similar coastal towns, I would note that Bournemouth Borough Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council are recycling roughly half their household waste and are providing a weekly collection of residual waste. This illustrates the scope for councils to have high recycling rates and still provide a weekly service for local taxpayers.
Brighton and Hove Council has received financial support from my Department to help increase recycling, so we will want to see progress in these rates being improved. If the Council has failed to do so, then the ruling administration on the Council should rightly be held to account.
The answer was submitted on February 23, 2015 at 16:59.
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