'We had to say no to recycling centre contracts'

A council leader says the authority "had to say no" to renewing a contract for two household recycling centres (HRCs) as it was too expensive.

Wiltshire Council's original decision to close the two HRCs at Purton and Lower Compton, near Calne, this summer was met with public backlash. The authority then announced a delay until a single new one is built following a new deal with contractors, Hills Waste.

However, there is still frustration over the centres closing in the future.

Speaking on BBC Politics West, council leader Ian Thorn said: "At some point, whether it's politically sensible or not, we have to say no", explaining financial stability was a "priority".

Out of the ten HRCs in the county, Purton and Lower Compton are the only ones owned and run by Hills Waste, but the council said the proposed new contract for them, which came up this year along with a number of other waste contracts, was unaffordable.

Now, the Purton centre has had its contract extended by three years with the option of one more, but the one at Lower Compton - called Honeyball - will be open for at least another year with an option of two more.

Wiltshire resident Chris Caswill said he was a Lib Dem member, the same political party as the council's administration, and was "astonished" by the move.

"I have found no adequate justification for it in all the discussions and paperwork I've seen," he said.

Peter Johnson, who lives in Calne,said he was not impressed with the handling of the closures by the council, saying it rode "roughshod over the views of local people who use this [Lower Compton] recycling centre".

He called the closure delay "just a stay of execution" and has concerns about the travel times to other HRCs and flytipping.

The plan for the single council-owned recycling centre in the Royal Wootton Bassett area is not impressing everyone in Calne.

Councillor for Calne Rural, conservative Ashley O'Neill, confirmed the "additional distance" and flytipping were two of the concerns people had been bringing to him.

"This is probably the number one issue, certainly, I've dealt with in the last five years since I've been a councillor in Calne," he said.

O'Neill added that a pilot booking system the council will be bringing in at some HRCs this year, had also caused frustration.

There are also concerns about where a new one might go. The council had been drawing up a list of possible sites and one of them is an old depot in Royal Wootton Bassett.

However, the town would like this to be a gateway site and entrance for a newly acquired country park and the canal.

The council said it plans to consult on a potential new site.

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