14
Jun
Overflowing recycling bins in Pateley due to staff shortages, council says
North Yorkshire Council today attributed overflowing recycling bins in Pateley Bridge to staff shortages.
Reader John Warren contacted the Stray Ferret this week to say the state of the recycling area was an “absolute disgrace”.
The bins are situated in a car park at the bottom of the High Street.
Mr Warren, who owns a holiday let in Pateley Bridge, said he was “embarrassed by the mess that greets our visitors”.
He added:
As you'll know Pateley Bridge is dependent upon tourism for its economic wellbeing, so one can only imagine what visitors think when they arrive to park their car.
As a holiday-let owner in the town, I feel ashamed.
Mr Warren told the Stray Ferret this was “not a one-off occurrence”, adding that overflowing bins were a “regular feature” in the car park.
He described the area as an “eyesore” that could damage the tourist economy the town, and Nidderdale, heavily relies on.
A lot of people in Pateley have worked incredibly hard over the past few years to make the town an attractive destination for tourists, only to be let down by our council on matters like this.
It's all about having pride in the place, really.
Mr Warren told the Stray Ferret his complaints to North Yorkshire Council had “fallen on deaf ears”.
He said there were two solutions: either the council “empty the bins more frequently”, or “find a new site where more bins can be accommodated”. He added:
It’s no good the council threatening people with fines etc when it's within the council's own remit to provide adequate facilities for people to recycle responsibly.
It's now over a year since the transition from North Yorkshire County Council to North Yorkshire Council and nothing seems to have changed.
Council tax increases by the maximum permitted and services to local taxpayers decline proportionately.
‘Unable to attend’
The Stray Ferret approached North Yorkshire Council about the overflowing bins and what measures it proposed to address the issue.
Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, said:
This recycling bank is emptied on a weekly basis, but unfortunately, due to staff shortages on the day in question, we were unable to attend last week.
The bins were emptied yesterday (June 13) and the area will be swept clean.
Along with potholes, litter is a subject that often raises readers’ blood pressure.
The Stray Ferret last year reported not a single littering fine had been issued across the Harrogate district within three financial years, despite repeated coverage on overflowing bins and littered public spaces.
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