Councillor walks into a row over Green Bin charges

AN Appleton parish councillor has vowed to fight on for pensioners and other people who cannot pay their Green Bin charge online.
If you can’t pay the online charge of £31 you have to pay an extra £3, even if you go into the borough council’s town centre contact centre and try to pay in cash.
Cllr John Price made the discovery himself after walking into Warrington from Appleton and handing over £31 in cash, which was accepted by council staff.
But he had no sooner walked back home when he received a phone call from the council to say: “You owe us £3.”
An indignant Cllr Price protested – but to not avail. Eventually he walked back into town and handed over £3 cash.
He said: “The council staff were very polite and nice about it – but they insisted I had to pay the extra £3.
“I fought a little battle over this last year – the first year there had been a Green Bin charge – and hoped I might have persuaded the borough council to think again. But it would appear I have to fight on.
“I have put in a formal complaint on the basis that the borough is discriminating against a section of the community – largely the elderly and vulnerable.
“If I don’t get some satisfaction I shall be complaining to the Local Government Ombudsman.”
A borough council spokesman said: “In common with many services, a discount is offered for online transactions as there is a cost to the provider attached to purchases made over the phone or in person.
“Customers could subscribe to the scheme in libraries and Golden Gates Housing Trust offices. Here, staff would support customers to subscribe online, reducing the cost to the online fee.”
Last year, 88 per cent of people who subscribed to the Green Bin service, paid online.