- Lib Dem budget amendment will invest £250,000 to improve recycling rates
- The “spend-to-save” investment will bring more money into the council and be good for the environment
- Other parties given advance notice and asked to support the proposal
Stockport Liberal Democrats are proposing a bold scheme to recapture the recycling crown the borough had just a few years ago as the best urban recycler in the country.
The scheme will see Stockport residents given information and encouragement to recycling more.
“Stockport residents have always done us proud on recycling, making the borough one of the top recyclers in the country,” said Cllr Lisa Smart, “but recently we’ve slipped down the rankings. That’s bad for the environment and it’s costing us money. Every time something goes to expensive landfill instead of being recycled, local taxpayers pick up the bill.”
The Lib Dem scheme, being proposed at the Budget Council meeting on 23rd February, is an “invest to save” plan.
“We’ve looked at the evidence from what Stockport has done in the past and what other councils are doing around the country. We are confident that an investment of £250,000 to help residents recycle more will see taxpayers save that amount several times over. That means more money to spend on repairing our roads and looking after our vulnerable and elderly people.” said Cllr Mark Hunter.
The proposal will come to Budget Council as an amendment to the ruling Labour Group’s budget.
“Opposition amendments are often sprung on the budget meeting by surprise,” said Group Leader Iain Roberts. “In this case we have let the other groups know about our proposal well in advance. We believe it’s a prudent measure that will improve Stockport’s recycling and save the council money so we’re asking the other groups to support it.”
