Decision due on plan to introduce booking at tips

Proposals to introduce a booking system at rubbish tips in East Sussex are set to go in front of a senior county councillor.

The decision will be made by Claire Dowling, East Sussex County Council's lead member for transport and environment.

If introduced, the new system would require residents to book a half-hour timeslot before using one of the sites.

Officers say the change would save about £50,000 per year, discourage businesses and out-of-area visitors from using the service, and help prevent queuing problems currently present at some of the sites.

The council said the system would also allow it to charge non-East Sussex residents to use the facilities.

Under the proposals, bookings could be made online or by telephone.

The council ran a public consultation on the proposals between October and December last year.

The consultation received 5,992 responses, which the report notes to be the highest number of responses ever submitted to a consultation run by the council's communities, environment and transport department.

A total of 91% of responses were negative.

Most respondents raised concerns about the "inconvenience" of the change, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council also received a 2,276-signature petition opposing the changes.

The petition, set up by the Lewes Liberal Democrats, argued the changes were "unnecessary" and risked "making waste disposal more complex and less accessible", and argued it could result in an increase in fly-tipping.

Despite the opposition, officers are recommending the changes to be approved.

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