Really,
wheelie bad idea
20th
October 2004 - Letter to the Argus (published Tues 26th Oct)
Before and After Wheelie Bin delivery in Hampstead Road
We
all want to try and help our refuse collectors operate to maximum efficiency.
And in some areas, the Wheelie bin can be a real benefit. But in many areas of
Brighton and Hove, forcing residents to use them is simply not appropriate.
The
introduction of wheelie bins is not satisfactory for steep hills and properties
with a lot of steps or steep slopes leading to and from their front doors.
After
no consultation with the residents, wheelie bins were delivered this week to the
residents of Hampstead Road, Brighton. The only ‘consultation’ they had was
a letter delivered last week (but dated 29th August 2004) TELLING
them what they must (and must not) do with them. The first requirement is to put
it at the front edge of their property as close to the pavement as possible by
6am each Monday.
This
road is on a hill. There is little space at the front of the properties to keep
them during the week, so most will have to take them THROUGH the house, down (or
up) at least a dozen steps, out to the back of the house. Some will manage. The
elderly I suspect will not.
The
residents are mounting a forceful campaign involving Withdean Ward Councillors
Ken and Ann Norman in an attempt to find a better solution to the already
difficult refuse collection in this area (the road already suffers from crammed
car parking – but that is another subject). And as part of this campaign
invited me to see for myself first hand the problems they are up in arms about.
What
I was not prepared for was the additional ‘cold-heartedness’ of the
residents being advised that alternative arrangements could be made if they
could prove medical hardship. This is an outrage. We are talking about rubbish
collection here. It is simply UNACCEPTABLE for residents to have to
disclose medical problems to get their rubbish taken away. What has
Brighton and Hove come to?
This
is an appalling situation for some of the residents of Brighton Pavilion, and
the City as a whole. These bins are being dumped on residents without proper
consultation.
The residents in Carden Avenue and Denton Drive, together with the Patcham Conservative Councillors have successfully argued for Wheelie bins not to be used there. The battle is on for surrounding streets. Specifically, the Assistant Director Cityclean Gillian Marston has been asked by Conservative Cllr Brian Pidgeon to show residents how to drag a full bin up 20 steps. Regretfully, no reply has yet been received.
And one more aspect to
consider. Why are Cityclean telling residents to leave the bin on the pavement?
This is in direct coinflict with the 24th March 2003 review by the Equalities
Forum of access to services for deaf, blind and deafblind. Recommendation 6 is
clear - pavements are for people.
Lets
hope Cityclean, and Brighton and Hove, council quickly see sense with regard to
Hampstead Road – and other unsuitable areas – and revert back to what the
residents of those roads actually want. At the end of the day, the Council is
there to serve the residents and their views must be taken into account.
