Labour’s Lawrence Fitzpatrick responded after the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed that it will be at least 2027 before a decision is made.
Garden waste collection is not a statutory duty for councils. Most cash- strapped authorities have introduced charges to households to uplift garden waste. In West Lothian it costs £52 a year. It is much higher in some other authorities.
Councillor Fitzpatrick told the LDRS: “If the service is made statutory, then we could expect the Scottish Government to ‘compensate’ us for loss of income.”
He added: “Nobody wanted to introduce charges for garden waste collections, but they are non-statutory services and the service has to be funded somehow.
“Out of Scotland’s 32 local authorities 24, or 75 per cent of councils charge for garden waste, with others considering introducing a charge.
“It is worth noting that because councils are not required by law to collect garden waste, unlike food waste, we do not receive any funding from the Scottish Government for this.
“We shouldn’t forget, the income generated isn’t profit – it is used to pay for the collection service. This is why the vast majority of Scottish councils have garden waste charges”.
The LDRS reported that , while the introduction of the charge in 2024 was greeted with fury by householders, unions representing council staff welcomed it as the first significant investment in waste collection services in years, because it would protect jobs.
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Councillor Fitzpatrick added: “The Scottish Government has cut £184 million from our budget since 2007.”
The council leader added: “75 per cent of council funding is now ring-fenced for Scottish Government policies so we have hardly any room for manoeuvre as we try to navigate our way through the Scottish Government’s massive cuts to councils.”
Livingston Conservative councillor Alison Adamson asked the question earlier this month when and if the government would start to cover the cost of garden waste uplift and permits would no longer be needed.
The promise had been widely touted when the bin charge was first introduced in the county more than a year ago
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government told the LDRS that a review of waste collection charges was under way and is set to be completed by the end of 2026.
A decision on charges, and whether to make garden waste collection a statutory requirement- therefore funded by Holyrood- is expected in 2027.
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