Thousands have a say on Hampshire County Council plans to cut £132m

Thousands of residents have had their say on plans to close some of Hampshire's tips or change their operation.

Hampshire County Council launched a consultation in January for opinions on its proposals to cut £132m from its budget by April 2025.

Of the 14,400 responses, more than 10,500 were reacting to plans to close waste centres across the county.

The consultation included 13 options to help the authority lower costs.

Residents previously told the BBC proposals to shut 12 Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs), was "madness".

Figures released by the council show 8% of people who responded to the consultation agreed with plans to close smaller sites like Bishops Waltham, Fair Oak, Marchwood and Somerley.

Meanwhile, half of those responding disagreed with proposals to charge for certain types of waste and one in four said they didn't want to see the opening hours reduced or tips close some days.

One of the comments on the consultation said closing HWRCs or charging in poorer areas would "increase fly tipping and negatively impact costs to councils to that up clear up, and worse cause environmental issues".

Another said the council "should not be contemplating any alteration to the existing operation of its HWRCs. It is a basic service which needs to be retained at the current level".

Council leader, Rob Humby, said it was "no secret" the authority's budget was "under huge pressure" and the public's feedback was "crucial".

He added: "Like lots of councils nationally, it's much harder to keep delivering everything we do with considerably less money available.

"We have already spent well over a decade working differently and even more efficiently, generating income, and sharing resources with other public sector organisations, as well as disposing of land and buildings we no longer need. Our financial reserves have proven vital in helping to plug budget shortfalls along the way.

"But after 2025/26, the reserves available to help us balance the budget come to an end, so we must make tough choices on what services we can continue to deliver."

Hampshire County Council has published the full responses to all 13 suggestions. and councillors will now review the results.

Final decisions for what happens next are expected to be made on 9 July.

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