Town council adds voice to tip closure concerns

A south Shropshire town council has added to calls to ‘save’ a household tip in Craven Arms – despite there being no immediate plans for its closure.

Ludlow Town Council says it is “very concerned” about the future of the recycling centre at Craven Arms, after Shropshire Council revealed it was considering closing two of its five household recycling sites as part of a programme of budget cuts.

Almost immediately, residents in Craven Arms raised a petition to object to any possible closure  for the south Shropshire site, which is now approaching 8,500 signatures.

Now, town councillors in Ludlow have called on Shropshire Council to avoid making what they describe as “short sighted decisions” amid fears recycling centre closures could lead to an increase in fly-tipping.

“Shropshire is a large rural county with few recycling centres. We cannot afford to lose any more recycling facilities, especially in the south of the county,” said Ludlow Town Council.

“Shropshire Council say that their decision will be based on economic value, however, they must ensure that they do not sabotage Shropshire’s wider economy with short sighted decisions causing more problems than they solve.

“More closures will blight urban and rural areas of the county with increased fly tipping – creating roadside and wildlife hazards. Whitcliffe common is an important wildlife habitat in Ludlow and closing the nearest recycling centre will cause more environmentally damaging fly-tipping.

“Closing household recycling centres is contrary to Shropshire Council’s Climate Pledge, and it will disadvantage residents, undermine tourism, damage the environment, and cost Shropshire, and Shropshire Council more than it saves.”

Earlier this month, Shropshire Council said it had made no firm decisions about recycling centre closures for the time being, with environment portfolio holder Ian Nellins saying they were looking at alternative ways of making the required budget savings.

“We do have to deliver savings but we are exploring all possibilities as to how we achieve them,” he told the council’s cabinet, emphasising that the closures were only described as “potential” measures at the moment.

The measures are being introduced as Shropshire Council comes under unprecedented financial pressure, with a programme of around £62million of cost cutting or revenue raising schemes required to ensure the authority balances the books.

Shropshire Council says a public consultation on changes to waste and recycling in the county, which are also planned to include charging for garden waste collections, will be launched later this year.