A petition to urge Ilkley Town Council to increase the precept to save the local tip has gained over 500 signatures in less than 24 hours.
‘I just wanted to try to bring the community together to give the council the support they need so that they can have as many options as possible’ said Dan Hammond who launched the campaign. ‘It’s very pleasing that, after so much division, this seems to be gaining broad support.’
Bradford Council announced this week that it is pressing ahead with plans to close Golden Butts from Sunday 31st March. Ilkley is one of three which will close after the budget decision on 7 March.
The petition reads:
‘As a resident of Ilkley, I understand the importance of having a local tip and recycling centre. Like many in our town, I rely on these facilities for responsible waste disposal. The potential closure of our local tip is not just an inconvenience; it threatens the environment and quality of life in our community.
If this facility closes, residents will have to travel further to dispose their waste. This could lead to increased carbon emissions due to longer car journeys - a direct contradiction with the UK's commitment towards reducing its carbon footprint (source: UK Government's 2050 net zero target). It also means more time wasted by residents who should be able to access such essential services within their locality.
Moreover, there is a real risk that without convenient access to waste disposal facilities, some might resort to fly-tipping - an illegal activity that can harm wildlife and spoil the beauty of our town (source: Environmental Agency report on fly-tipping).
We are therefore urging Ilkley Town Council to consider doubling the precept paid by residents. This increase would keep our local tip and recycling centre open, ensuring we can continue disposing of waste responsibly while protecting our environment. The Council is unanimous in their desire to keep the tip open. They have not said that they would not raise the precept - in fact this idea emerged from them. This petition is to show support to them by demonstrating that that there is the will in the community to take this action.
What is the precept? The precept is the payment made by Council Tax payers that goes to the local council.
Why double the precept? First of all, the precept people pay is larger for the better off and smaller for those with less ability to pay. This seems fair as everyone takes the burden that they can bear (unlike pay-per-use, for example). Secondly, Ilkley's precept is currently low compared with the national average (the average precept in for Band D in Ilkley is £55.17 per annum, whereas the average nationally is £78.79.)
Finally, we all know that there has been a great deal of division in our community recently. Solving the tip problem could bring us closer. We don't need to take sides on this, let's do it together!
Please sign this petition as a matter of urgency if you believe in preserving both convenience for residents and care for the environment in Ilkley.’
The link to the petition is: www.change.org/p/urge-ilkley-town-council-to-increase-precept-for-local-tip-and-recycling-centre?
Ilkley Town Mayor Karl Milner told Ilkley Chat: “It is a big leap for a town council to run a tip. But if any town can Ilkley can.
“The tip was originally run for residents of Burley and Addingham. If they are prepared to share the load we would welcome their support.
“The precept is set for next year. But if support is demonstrated to a rise then we can find ways to rise funds.
“The land must remain in public hands. There must be a separate income stream than just the precept to pay for it. We need a delivery partner to work with ... and we need time to sort it all out.”
Dan adds: "Under current plans, when the tip and recycling centre in Golden Butts Road opens on Tuesday 27th it would be for its last week. However, the community will not let that happen!
"Ilkley residents will see posters around time encouraging people to sign the petition and there will be volunteers at the tip itself encouraging users to do the same.
"Can you give an hour next week to hand out leaflets and support people in finding the online petition next week?
"Just add your name here and keep an eye on the same sheet for instructions: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14LnlnREE22JdKWRT2tsqitugyyj4xyRX8PJGfT5NBmk/edit"