Hampshire's tips saved after protest success - but for how long?

After significant pressure from Local MP Danny Chambers, Liberal Democrat Councillors and local protesters, the Conservative run Hampshire County Council was forced to backtrack today (14/10/2024) on the planned closure of half the county’s waste recycling centres.

The Conservative Council claimed that cuts had to be made and that there was no alternative option. However, over 100 people gathered at the Liberal Democrat organised protest at the Bishop’s Waltham waste tip this Saturday (12/10/2024) including leader of Winchester City Council - Martin Tod, and Winchester MP - Danny Chambers.

Though the tips have been saved for now, officially the Conservative Council decision was to “work towards identifying a whole system cost for Hampshire’s waste and recycling system and the potential once completed for an improved and better recycling and integrated waste partnership between the County Council and its District, Borough and City Council Partners”

Liberal Democrat opposition say they suspect the Conservative Council intend merely to delay the closures while the Bishop’s Waltham County Council by-election takes place and perhaps until after the next county-wide elections in May 2025.

Martin Tod spoke during the County Council cabinet meeting today (14/10/2024) challenging the deep cuts being proposed across many local services:
 “Ever since the cabinet voted through these cuts, we’ve known that it would come to this moment. Desperate cuts - increasing costs for the public - more fly-tipping… more congestion… less recycling. More cost for the Police… more costs for district councils, more costs for the public and more costs for our environment.“

In response to the news that the tips had been successfully saved, Danny Chambers MP said:
“We’re so blessed here in Winchester and the Meon Valley with access to beautiful countryside. If we’re to have any hope of preventing fly-tipping and keeping our natural environment clean, these services need to remain in place. It’s all thanks to the Liberal Democrat councillors and the thousands of local people who signed petitions, wrote letters, and attended protests that these tips were saved.

Keeping these services will be far more cost effective in the long-run, so we must ensure the decision today is not merely a delay, but a permanent decision to take a different approach ”