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Havering Betrayed Over Libraries

Writer's picture: David TaylorDavid Taylor

Havering Council, yesterday evening, announced that they will be closing 3 libraries in order to save £288k. This move is a betrayal of the people of Havering and is a choice that doesn't have to be made.


The move came just a day after the HRA Cabinet gave Directors permission to spend over £1million on food waste bin liners, another choice that didn't have to be made.


Choosing liners over libraries is not what the people of Havering want.



The Finances

There is no doubt that Havering needs a better funding deal from the government. I've always said that, my colleagues have always said that, we always campaigned for that.


Havering used to receive as much as £70m a year from government, to cover the cost of services that we legally have to deliver. That grant has now reduced to £2m, whilst costs have gone up.


It means that, this year, we had to borrow £50m+ to balance the books and next year will borrow around £70m. We will be borrowing over £200m a year very soon. You council tax will keep going up, and the services you receive will keep being cut.


This stinks.


Food waste also stinks, so, let's take a look at that.


 

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Food Waste Choices

The Government now requires Havering to collect food waste, weekly, from 2026. We are getting a small grant from them to help set that up, but the grant doesn't cover the whole cost.


At Cabinet, the HRA presented a proposal that will give every home in Havering a small bin for their kitchen and a larger one for outside (a communal bin for flats). Alongside this, the HRA's proposal included giving everyone free liners for the bins.


In year one the liners will cost us around £260k. In year two the projected cost is £800k, with £500k of that being the cost to deliver them. Now, this could change, but the HRA have budgeted for the liners in the forthcoming budget.


This means they are expecting to spend £260k on bin liners.


The Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) has the 3rd highest recycling rate in the UK. About 61%. Havering is down at just 37%. We get free orange recycling sacks, and we still only get to 37%.


The VWHDC doesn't give out free food bin liners. I know, I have family there. People who want them go and buy them. A pack of 100, which will last you the year, is less than £10. Many people there compost at home, so don't need to bother with a liner at all. Some simply wash the bin out themselves.


Many people in Havering also compost, but they will be given bins and liners anyway.


So, one of the best in the country doesn't have liners. We, one of the worst, will.


Weekly food waste collection isn't an option. It is the law. Liners are a choice.



Liners or Libraries?

I think it is completely tone-deaf, and borderline insulting, that the HRA announced the library closure just a day after proposing £1m of spend on something unnecessary and optional.


Despite telling us they don't do politics, the HRA are doing laps telling us that it is all the government's fault. And that's smart messaging from them, people are starting to believe it.


It is the government's fault that we can't balance the books and need a generation of debt. But, it isn't the government's fault that the same people closing libraries, to save £288k, approved for a Director to spend £1m on liners.


There is a very clear choice here.


Year one of the liners is just a few £k short of the cost of the library savings. Year two of the liners is over three times the cost of keep the libraries open.


Our Councillors, in the HRA, made a choice to back liners over libraries.


This is a total betrayal of the people of Havering, and we won't forget it come election time.

1 Comment


ann franklin
ann franklin
Jan 24

We compost all our vegetable pealings in our garden very little food waste only food bones as I make soup of any leftovers. I personally think that people who care about recycling would be happy to purchase their own bin liners or wash the bin. If you don't see the reason for the recycling or are not physically able it won't happen so believe this is a total waste of money providing food bin liners.

Wouldn't residents rather the finances were put to a better use or even saved to bring costs down.

Ann Franklin

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