Labour's Leicester Recycling Woes. Is this one of Mayor Soulsby's "Work in Progress?"
In December 2016 the Liberal Democrats in Leicester reported findings where the Labour run City Council had fallen to 278th in a League Table of statistics of English Local Authorities in overall performance of Recycling, Reuse and Collection (RRC) rates compiled by the website letsrecycle.com for the year 2014-15 with a result of just 34.6%; a drop from year 2013-14 scoring a rate of 43.05% which to date is the best result achieved by Leicester City Council.
The latest figures complied by letsrecycle.com for 2015-16 improves Leicester's ranking to 197th with an RRC rate of 41.6%; a percentage rate short of a level produced in year 2011-12. Ironically the Labour run Leicester City Council fail to announce year on year results; the last available figure on their website is the successful recycling rate of 2013-14!
On June 20th, 2011, the Leicester City Council issued a Press Release; number 792-11 announcing "The City Mayor to take Orange Bag success City-Wide" after a successful trial period in 6 wards of the city where a scheme replaced the then green recycling boxes. "The Orange Bag Scheme allows Leicester residents a greater recycling collection including mixed plastics, tins, cans and cardboard." In the same Press Release Labour's then Assistant City Mayor, for Environment & Sustainability Cllr Sarah Russell advised: "Rolling out the scheme to the rest of Leicester could increase the cities overall recycling and composting rate from 40% to closer to 50%.
The European Union set target for RRC is 50% by 2020.
Whilst Leicester has improved to a 4 year level there are some questions for the Labour run Unitary Authority:
Why was 2014-15 a year of failure?
Why is Leicester City Council's own figures at the lower end of the target range 6 years after the implementation of the Orange Bag scheme when the scheme expected an increase in household recycling opportunities?
Why is Leicester City Council not publicising to its own residents its RRC rates?
What is Leicester City Council hiding from its residents by not producing up to date RRC rates?
Why did Leicester City Council have a consultation closed on November 27th 2016 seeking views on opinions to charge for the Bulky Item Collection Service and DIY waste?
Sir Peter Soulsby, Labour City Mayor for Leicester announced in an online article of Leicester Mercury on April 2nd he would "like to seek re-election in 2019" as he would "still have business to finish" and "...feel much of what am doing is work in progress." With these findings, after 6 years as City Mayor and no little progress from the Press Release of October 2011 would Leicester residents in 2019 want another 4 years of wasted opportunity?
Sources: