Tip closures consultation gets go-ahead

A public consultation is set to be carried out on council plans to close three Leicestershire recycling centres.

Leicestershire County Council is considering closing its tips at Market Harborough, Shepshed and Somerby as part of plans to save £90m by 2026.

Councillors have now voted to ask the public for their views on the closures from November and close the tips by October 2024 if the plans are approved in full.

However, people in Shepshed have already raised concerns about fly-tipping if their tip closes.

Neil McHugh, who lives opposite the Shepshed site, said: "We have lots of fly-tipping... you get some going at the top of the hill on a regular basis.

"That costs a fortune to keep getting rid of it.

"It would be far cheaper to have this [tip] open more regularly."

Other Shepshed residents raised similar concerns.

Stefan Girvan said: "If they close that down, what about people who can't get to the tip in Loughborough? Where are they going to go?"

Hazel Peacock added: "They will be spending more money on picking up fly-tipping people than they would keeping that open."

The public consultation will run for 12 weeks and the council will announce how people can contribute at a later date.

The closures would save £270,000, but the council said it could reduce its costs by a further £150,000 if it also reduces summer opening times and introduces Christmas Eve closures at Leicestershire's other 11 tips.

Opening times at the Bottesford recycling site would also fall from five to three days a week.

The council said it had more waste sites than other counties across the region and, while no final decision has been taken, it has to save money somewhere.

A full decision on the closures will not take place until 2024, once a consultation report is published.

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