Newcastle great-grandmother's stolen bin plea as council urged to waive 'unfair' fees for pensioners
A Newcastle great-grandmother has pleaded with council chiefs to offer a reprieve for pensioners forced to pay to replace stolen bins.
Margaret Hutchinson had both her household waste and recycling bins taken from outside her Slatyford home on Bonfire Night earlier this month. But the 71-year-old says she is struggling to pay the £65 being demanded by Newcastle City Council to replace them – and fears many others on Tyneside will be left in the same position, at a time when household finances are under pressure because of Christmas and winter fuel bills.
Margaret, who has five grandchildren and a great-grandchild, is currently having to dispose of her rubbish in the communal bins used by neighbouring flats at her independent living development in Coniston Grove. As the local authority insists it cannot offer any exemptions from the bin replacement fees, she says that even a discount for people on low income would be welcome.
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Margaret told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We are pensioners – what do they expect us to do with our rubbish? I asked what would happen if we paid for new bins and they disappeared again, and they said we would just have to pay again. They have shown no compassion at all.
“Even if the council just reduced the fee for pensioners who are just living on their pension and are struggling, that would help. Fair enough if I was working, or if I had a husband and we had two incomes coming in. But it is unfair when you are on your own, you have a crime happen to you, and the council wants £65 for it.
“God knows how many people are going to have this happening to them when they have no money to pay for it.”
Her local councillor, Liberal Democrat Mark Mitchell, said it was “outrageous for the council to charge a pensioner, or anyone else on a low income, £65 to replace bins that were stolen”. He added: “It's just not good enough to effectively blame the victim of a crime. The council needs to immediately consider how fixed charges such as this can be mitigated for people who simply cannot afford to pay."
Newcastle City Council said it appreciated that it can be “frustrating” to have to replace a bin lost through no fault of your own, but that it could not offer any exemptions. A spokesperson said: “As a council, we are responsible for funding a wide range of essential services across the city and, unfortunately, there isn’t sufficient budget to provide waste and recycling bins free of charge.
“Winter, in particular, can be a challenging time, as stolen bins are sometimes used to start fires. We kindly remind residents to avoid leaving excess rubbish alongside their bins while awaiting collection and to bring bins back in promptly after they have been emptied.
“We are committed to supporting residents on low incomes in other ways, such as our recent £1 million support package for pensioners at risk of missing out on the Winter Fuel Allowance. If you’re struggling, please visit newcastle.gov.uk/cost-living-support to find out about the assistance available to you.”