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Norfolk to shut HWRCs on Wednesdays to save costs

Norfolk county council has put forward plans to close its 20 household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) on Wednesdays as part of efforts to save £15 million.

The Sheringham HWRC in North Norfolk could close on Wednesdays under the proposals (picture: Norfolk Recycles)

The Conservative-controlled council’s cabinet will discuss the proposal alongside 18 others at a meeting on 4 July in the first stage of a bid to meet a predicted “budget gap” of £60 million for 2023/24.

Closing the HWRCs one day a week could cut £200,000 from Norfolk’s 2023/24 budget, according to a report which will go before the meeting.

The report suggests Norfolk could slash a further £70,000 from its budget for next year if the HWRCs were to switch permanently to winter hours, closing an hour earlier than in the summer.

Other proposals for 2023/24 include cutting funding for waste reduction initiatives and implementing “contract efficiencies” at the HWRCs, each of which could save £50,000.

At the meeting, the cabinet will discuss putting the proposals to public consultation “later in the year”.

The report notes there continues to be “very significant uncertainty” about Norfolk’s funding levels for 2023/24 onwards.

The council “did not anticipate or make provision for” the economic impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the wider cost of living crisis that has emerged in recent months, the report says.

‘Transforming services’

Cllr Andrew Jamieson, Norfolk’s cabinet member for finance, said: “Like all councils, we were facing higher costs and demand for services, even before the recent rise in inflation.

“A £60 million target is the highest we’ve faced in recent years, so it makes sense to start the process now, with an initial range of proposals.

“I’m determined to transform services, so that we can deliver them in a more cost-effective way that’s fit for the future.”

Norfolk

Representing an estimated population of more than 900,000, Norfolk county council had a household waste recycling rate of 42.1% in the 2020/21 financial year, the most recent available data.

Norse Environmental Waste Services (NEWS), a subsidiary of the local authority-owned company Norse Group, operates all 20 of Norfolk’s HWRCs.

In April, the council confirmed to letsrecycle.com that it had overspent on the construction of two new, replacement HWRCs – Norwich North and Norwich South – by £2.56 million (see letsrecycle.com story).

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