In the depths of the biggest economic crisis we have known - weekly bin collections and higher motorway speeding limits??? wtf?

[elliott]

That's it really. How the government can justify spending money on these trivial and blatantly populist policies whilst cutting support for the vulnerable (and the rest of us) is just deeply depressing. Priorities anyone??

[niceguy2]

Well personally I am lucky enough to have weekly bin collections and I can only imagine to those who have to endure fortnightly ones would think it's fairly important. To many people, emptying of the bins is the most visible sign of their council.

And as for speed limits, well it's not really going to cost a lot of money is it? Just needs a change in the law doesn't it? To be fair I've not heard of these proposals other than what you just said.

[EggyAllenPoe]

weekly bin collections - there can be very good reasons for this in terms of vermin control. if it is the recycling/compost that gets taken weekly - then that can save money elsewhere.....

speed limits - possibly will stop wasting police time catching average motorists on the UKs safest roads, and allow them to focus on motoring of the kind that is most likely to cause an accident? (ie in town)

and it is hardly going to cost much for either

[elliott]

They have apparently found a spare couple of billion to reintroduce weekly bin deliveries. Ok, nice to have, but when the first priority is (apparently) to cut the deficit?? I guess it will employ a few more bin men.

Speed limit change - of course it will cost time and money to implement the change (there is the obligatory 'consultation' process for starters). It will cause more deaths on the roads, and increase carbon dioxide emissions. And again, its like, aren't there a few more important things to be trying to do at the moment??

[ColdSancerre]

We have had fortnightly bin collections for about 7 years and don't have a vermin problem. Admittedly we do have a formidable semi-feral rat catcher but my neighbours don't have vermin either.

[EggyAllenPoe]

people already do 80 on the roads - or more. why would making it legal cause more deaths ? deciding this is presumably why they are actually consulting rather than just jumping straight to legislation like the previous government did...time and time again.


people in several areas have complained of vermin, increases in fly tipping, people taking excess waste to HWR sites... in summer, the stench alone..foul....

[ZephirineDrouhin]

I think you answered your own question with the phrase "blatantly populist"

[claig]

What's wrong with being populist? Aren't governments supposed to serve the public? Would you prefer them to tell us that we have only "50 days left to save the planet" and then make policies based on that logic? They are multi-tasking, they can make life better for the public, by following populist policies, at the same time as dealing with the economy.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Just yesterday there was a thread started here asking 'what have the government ever done for us?' (I paraphrase). They wanted 'small things' that made life better and were completely uninterested in economic problems. So why not a few announcements about bin collections and speed limits?

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Cost is £250m for the extra bin thing, apparently. Not 'billions' and spread pretty thinly. I'm not bothered about it either way.

[AyesToTheRight]

I do find the bin thing a bit weird but have had fortnightly bin collections for over 6 years and not had any problems so having weekly ones would feel a bit odd.

Have to admit the speed limit one would mean I wasn't breaking the speed limit when I am on motorways

[Iggly]

It's foolish.

We "endure" fortnightly collections. They collect food waste (cooked and uncooked) every week, which is the main cause of problems. Paper collected weekly, other recycling fortnightly. I much prefer it.

Our council are closing children and family centres which serve a cross section of the community. If they move to weekly rubbish collections again I'll be incredible and

I'm not fussed about the motorway speed limits per se but I hate the Tory attitude to driving - we have a huge speeding problem our road yet because we have tory councillors they've taken years to do sod all because it's against Tory policy to put speed humps in. Despite calls from the majority of residents to do it. Twats.

[niceguy2]

Like it or not, there is a lot of support for weekly bin collections.

It makes me laugh when the Tories do something unpopular then they are accused of only supporting their rich mates and they're all "twats". And when they try to do something popular they are accused of being "populist". And any cuts made are "ideological" as opposed to expecting someone to make cuts which go against their ideology.

Ed Miliband stood up earlier this week and spoke about the undeserving poor. Can you imagine the outcry if Cameron said that yet barely any mutterings from the lefties at all cos Red Ed said it.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

We have a Lib Dem council and they're not too quick on installing speed-bumps either. As was explained to me..... there may be speeding but no-one's died. This makes us low priority. And if they speed bump my road, cars would divert elsewhere meaning someone else's road becomes a rat-run. I'm also told by those who live by roads with speed bumps to not push too hard because they are unpleasantly noisy. :)

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Agree niceguy2... there is a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' aspect to this. All the complaints about reductions in public services and jobs as a result of reducing public expenditure. Now they offer to spend more on a public service and create or save a few jobs in the process and this is a 'bad thing'.

[Iggly]

Bollocks - I dont anyone who wants weekly rubbish collections where I live. Why? Because we get weekly collections which mean we can get rid of the food which causes vermin problems.

As for calling them twats, that's because of their lack of road safety policy. I have a small child and do not feel safe walking down some parts of my road because of speeding. It's a residential road

[Iggly]

And it's a bit rich to be told there's no money left when they can magically find £250m. Why not not spend it and save it instead?

[niceguy2]

Eh? So noone you know wants weekly bin collections because you already have them?

And can you explain to me why you think changing the motorway speed limit to 80mph will make your residential road more unsafe?

[Iggly]

read my post. I said the motorway thing does not bother me. It is however a reflection of their general policy on road safety - the Tories are all for the motorist.

And the rubbish collection thing - our council trialled it first before introducing fortnightly rubbish collections (not a surprise being tories) and it was popular because they do come every week just not for rubbish.

I've not seem evidence of the call for weekly collections beyond tabloid hysteria but am prepared to be proven wrong.

[MrPants]

Perspective people.

1. The government has found £250 million (that's 250,000,000) for weekly bin collection.
   
   
2. The government owes £4.2 trillion pound (that's 4,200,000,000,000) including PFI commitments, pensions etc.
   
   
3. The money the government has found is approximately half of one thousandth of a percent of the deficit.
   
   Another way to compare its comparative size in numbers we can all understand is turning up at an estate agent and trying to buy a £200k house with a £10 note and then arguing that your £10 is a lot of money!
   
   As for changing the speed limit, is there even a cost to the government?

[GetOrfMo1Land]

I really, really don't understand why we need to reinstate weekly bin collections. It's fine fortnightly. It has been fortnightly in many places for years.

I don't give a monkeys about the speed limit increase, most people do 80mph on the motorway anyway.

[breadandbutterfly]

I have bin collections every other week and probably prefer them weekly BUT feel there are more important things both to spend on and to focus on. If everything else was tickety boo, then fine, but at the moment, it feels like a smokescreen to avoid discussing all the important things like the NHS that they're buggering up big time.

I think 80 on the motorways is a big mistake, safety-wise. Some people will always do just over the speed limit, whatever it is. fail to see how this will do anything other than increase accidents. Maybe it will marginally decrease red tape, but frankly red tape that reduces accidents is worth having.

[VivaLeBeaver]

You're so right.

I was as pissed off as anyone about it when our bin collection went fortnightly. But you know what, its OK. We have to recycle more so can't be as lazy about just chucking stuff in the bin. I can't clean the chickens out in the same week as the rabbits and guineapigs. We compost a lot of stuff. But we manage.

I'd be annoyed if money was wasted going back to weekly collections when I know the bin will be half empty most weeks.

[EggyAllenPoe]

i did a job surveying people at HWR sites on what/why they were tipping, in East Sussex - many many people complained about fortnightly collections - they were not being done intelligently (ie with compost collections weekly still Iggly) and people were seeing more rats about.

it was a major cause of complaint.

[Iggly]

Yes I'd be pretty anti if they didn't collect our compostable waste. Our landfill waste is pretty clean.

[Jinx1906]

The motorway higher speed limit makes sense. Higher speed limit, more fuel consumption, tax on petrol is sky high - the extra money for Osborne's piggy bank.

We recycle a lot and I'm happy having my bin collected once every two weeks, but I think it would be great to bring back weekly collections for people who have a lot of smelly stuff that can not be recycled such as nappies etc...