Council urged to remove obstacles to community compost scheme

3.21.24pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 5th Aug 2008

Councillor Neil Butters and the Community Composting Club in Wellow have joined forces to call on the Council to waive legal fees which could land the Club in financial difficulties.

The Composting Club has built three compost bins on B&NES land in the centre of Wellow. The idea is to recycle locally, avoiding bonfires and unnecessary car journeys, and to create out of a 'waste product' a communal resource in the form of homemade compost. Volunteers run the Club and it is for parishioners only.

However, despite being awarded three years' Planning Permission, the Club has recently had a letter from the Council asking for payment of legal and surveying costs in drawing up a Tenancy Agreement.

Joanne MacInnes from the Community Composting Club commented, "The Compost Club is totally reliant on grant money and donations and paying these costs would clean out our bank account. Whilst I am sure it is standard procedure for Tenancy Agreements with the Council, it does seem counter-productive in terms of encouraging communities to set up local, green initiatives.

"The Waste Services department has been generally supportive, but to date we have had no offer of financial assistance from the Council and no offer of waste credits despite that we are diverting waste that the Council would otherwise have to deal with itself. We understand that other unitary councils, such as East Riding in Yorkshire, pay waste credits as well as start-up grants because they have calculated that it is in their financial interest to do so. The hope is that the Cabinet member for waste will be able to help us find a way round the question of paying the Council's legal fees.

"The depressing thing is that this very modest scheme has had to endure an enormous amount of red tape and expense just to erect three compost bins. It's sad that bureaucracy of this kind stands in the way of such initiatives and I fear that they are standing in the way of communities acting quickly enough to respond effectively to the climate change crisis."

Local Councillor, Neil Butters (Lib Dem, Bathavon South), added, "This is an exciting new venture - the first such in B&NES - which has taken a great deal of effort by volunteers to establish. The Council has been generally supportive, but is now unexpectedly wanting the club to come up with several hundred pounds for solicitor's and surveyor's fees for a tenancy agreement - apart from peppercorn rent costs.

"I have asked the Cabinet member if he would look at this, and he is investigating to see whether there is anything he can do.

"I hope the Cabinet member will be able to respond positively, especially since the Council has recently highlighted the importance of composting in saving the Council money in land-fill fees - the Community Composting Club could be a model for other small communities in the area and so save the Council even more money."