Daily Mail reports on how Labour Council Clamps Down on Truth
HE is the man behind the UK’s first three-weekly rubbish
collection service, a scheme that has left angry residents picking their way
through stinking heaps of refuse.
And
now Glenn Stuart, waste ‘tsar’ for Bury, Greater Manchester, has revealed how
he cracked down on negative publicity for the controversial scheme – by trying
to stop photographs like (the one below) of the town’s overflowing bins.
Mr Stuart’s positive spin on his unpopular decision has gone
down well in the waste-collection world. At a conference in London last week,
he was applauded by local authority executives as he boasted:
‘Any problem was
nipped in the bud. We didn’t allow photographs of overflowing bins.’
He claimed this had been achieved by showing families how to
deal more efficiently with their rubbish.
But campaigners said the Labour council had tried to banish
damaging images by warning people that only those bins where the lids closed
fully would be emptied – a threat that had forced some families to keep rubbish
indoors until the dustcart’s next visit, or take it to the tip themselves.
And despite Mr Stuart’s attempts to impose a positive spin,
local activists have shared with The Mail on Sunday these pictures of Bury’s
rubbish piles, two years after the scheme was introduced.
Jason Turner, who organised a 6,000-signature petition
against the idea, said:
‘The council has duped the public all the way along and
this latest news smacks of a cover-up. I’m all in favour of recycling but I’ve
been making several trips each month to the tip since this scheme started. I’m
doing the council’s job for them.’
Last night, an unrepentant Mr Stuart warned that an emptying
service every three weeks – already adopted by other councils – would soon be
standard practice across Britain, adding:
‘I have had lots of requests for
information from colleagues in other authorities.’
And he warned that he may get tougher still to force the
people of Bury into recycling, saying: ‘People have been given ample
opportunity to fall in line. We need to formulate a plan of action in terms of
enforcement.’
The scheme’s opponents claim it has led to an increase in
rat infestation. Iain Gartside, leader of the Conservative group on Bury
council, said:
‘It’s an absolutely disgrace, with overflowing bins and
increased fly-tipping.’
Despite Mr Stuart’s attempts to impose a positive spin, local activists have shared the above image with The Mail on Sunday of one of Bury’s rubbish pilesRead more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3567680/Bin-tsar-slashed-collections-one-THREE-WEEKS-tries-crack-opposition-banning-photographs-overflowing-bins.html#ixzz47bjt5PZs
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3567680/Bin-tsar-slashed-collections-one-THREE-WEEKS-tries-crack-opposition-banning-photographs-overflowing-bins.html#ixzz47bdC1gdS
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