DORSET Council has rowed back on plans to introduce a booking system for its tips – but only for six of its 10 recycling centres.
The latest proposal will see the booking system implemented at Dorchester, Wimborne, Shaftesbury, and Sherborne – but not at Bridport, Swanage, Weymouth, Portland, Wareham and Blandford.
The council said it has changed its mind over the plans due to financial pressures – but the controversial plans received a strong amount of criticism from users.
It said the new changes will reduce cross-border use in north Dorset as 20% of waste received at both Shaftesbury and Sherborne comes from outside of the county, “which Dorset Council taxpayers are unfairly paying for.”
READ MORE: Dorset Council “determined” to push through £120,000 recycling centre booking system
It added the new system will be put in place in Dorchester and Wimborne to reduce queuing.
A spokesperson said: “Due to their location and local road network, both sites are prone to queuing at busy times.”
Councillor Jon Andrews, cabinet member for place services, said: “We’ve listened to residents and understand their concerns.
“We still believe a booking system is the best way to protect our recycling centres from future service cuts, but this new approach allows us to prioritise the areas with the most pressing issues.”
He added: “We’ve heard from many residents who say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ And we get that. But the reality is, the current service is costing more than it should, and some areas do need ‘fixing’ to a certain extent.
“A booking system will save hundreds of thousands of pounds – money that helps us keep all our HRCs open and avoid reducing hours or closing locations.”
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