Council plea to delay food waste collection to 2039

Shropshire Council will ask the government to allow it to delay implementing food waste collections until 2039, the authority's cabinet says.

The Liberal Democrat-run council stated it could not afford to fund the service, despite it being made mandatory.

The authority said it has a "very difficult financial position" and a contract with waste company Veolia ends in 2039, when the council could renegotiate, leader Heather Kidd suggested.

Previously, the government said money was being made available for the authority, so local leaders could "decide how best to prioritise spending".

Rules requiring weekly food waste collections for homes in England came into force in March, but dozens of councils were not ready to provide the service.

Authorities blamed the delay on demand for new specialist vehicles and funding issues, despite the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs giving out more than £340m in grants.

Defra stated it would still work with council waste networks and the wider industry, providing targeted support.

On Thursday, Kidd said the government "promised us that they would be giving us around £3.5m, but we need £3.8m to actually go and collect the food waste".

She added the authority had "a very difficult financial position, and on top of that the government has cut our amount of money coming in over the next three years even more than it was already cut".

"2039 is the end of the Veolia contract and then we'll be able to negotiate a contract with any other waste collection company."

Green Party councillor Duncan Kerr said: "Here we are not complying with the government requirement, even though we think it's a good thing to do. That's a very serious matter I think".

On 1 April, a Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government spokesperson said: "We're making £78 billion available for council finances next year and delivering the first multi-year settlement in a decade, so councils can provide high quality public services for local people.

"This includes making over £383 million available for Shropshire Council, with the majority of this money unringfenced so local leaders can decide how best to prioritise spending, including weekly food waste collections."

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.