THE future of Alton’s household waste recycling centre could once again be under threat as Hampshire County Council seeks to cut £140m from its budget.

Under pressure to address this anticipated multi-million pound shortfall by April 2019, the county council is looking at all aspects of its service provision, including the possible closure of half of the household waste recycling centre network.

Next Tuesday, Rob Humby, the county council’s executive member for environment and transport, is set to consider a report entitled ‘Transformation to 2019 - Revenue Savings Proposals’ at his decision day.

One of the proposals states: “In the absence of being legally able to introduce a nominal universal access charge to household waste recycling centres and already having previously made significant savings in 2015 and 2017 while avoiding the need for site closures, it is proposed to save £1.2m (from the environment and transport budget) by closure of up to half the household waste recycling centre network (the saving is approximately £100,000 per site), plus the potential for amended opening hours (up or down) on the remaining sites.

“It is acknowledged that this proposal would mean significantly greater travel requirements for some Hampshire residents to reach a site.”

Last November, the authority delayed implementing plans to charge for DIY waste and to reduce opening hours at its 24 household waste recycling centres following a Government ruling that charging residents to dispose of DIY waste could be illegal.

The county council was expecting to save around £1.55m through the introduction of charges, as well as by reducing opening hours across the board, but this didn’t happen.

While the county council is permitted to charge householders for depositing non-household waste at recycling centres, and also to charge householders living outside the county council area for using the centres – introduced in 2015 and 2017 respectively – current legislation prevents local authorities from charging residents to deposit household waste. Were the law to change to allow the introduction of a nominal charge for access to the centres this, the report says, would eliminate the need for site closures.

The report also states that Hampshire currently provides more household waste recycling centres than comparable authorities, with almost 85 per cent of the population currently within five miles of a recycling centre.

Mr Humby will be asked to “approve the detailed savings proposals for submission to cabinet in October and then full council in November, recognising that there will be further public consultation for some proposals”.

It’s a case of deja vu for local Liberal Democrat spokesman John Pritchard, who was at the forefront of last year’s battle to retain Alton’s household waste recycling centre, raising a petition that attracted more than 2,400 signatures.

Flagging up the proposal, Mr Pritchard said: “Government has slashed funding by 37 per cent but continues to dictate that Hampshire County Council should not charge for using the tip. Regardless, the county council has pressed ahead with charging for dumping DIY waste (classified as non-household waste), which has contributed to a four-fold increase in the cost of dealing with fly-tipping by East Hampshire District Council.”

Mr Pritchard continued: “When Alton Liberal Democrats drew attention to the possible closure of Alton’s recycling centre last October, councillor Andrew Joy wrote ‘the time to mount a resistance campaign is when there is an identifiable threat’. Presumably, he meant now?”

Commenting, Mr Joy (Alton Town) said: “The raft of revenue savings proposals published this week for initial consideration by Hampshire County Council executive members has understandably raised major concerns for local tax-payers.

“Hampshire County Council’s Balancing the Budget consultation, which concluded on August 21, has sought public views through every available communication channel on how to achieve a further £140m revenue savings over the next two years. Reductions in Government funding combined with the effects of a growing population, increased service demands and inflation have added even more brutal financial challenges on top of the £340m savings already achieved.

“The current process requires a wide range of options to be identified prior to consideration in detail by cabinet in October and full council in November.

“I and my colleagues will be ever mindful of potential impacts on all sectors of our communities and will do out utmost to minimise and mitigate unpalatable consequences but, at the end of the day, the books have to balance.”

The future of Alresford’s household waste recycling centre, which while small serves residents from a wider rural area, was the subject last year of considerable local protest, with increased fly-tipping a major concern should the centre close.

Conscious of the need to protect both Alton and Alresford household waste recycling centres, Alton Rural county councillor Mark Kemp Gee said that he would be discussing this “as a matter of urgency” and would do “everything possible” to prevent it happening.