Northumberland recycling bill threatens charities

Nov 15 2010 by David Black, The Journal

CHARITIES could be forced out of council-owned sites in Northumberland under moves aimed at boosting hard-pressed town hall coffers.

Organisations such as the Salvation Army and the British Heart Foundation have textiles and shoe banks at council waste recycling centres and car parks where people can bring along unwanted items and donate them to the charity.

They are not currently charged for the collection sites, but now they could lose them to commercial operators as the county council seeks to make money from recycling banks to help achieve massive budget savings.

The charities have been told they will have to take part in a market-testing exercise on the potential sale of materials collected at the sites.

And yesterday some expressed fears that they will not be able to compete with commercial operators, and will lose out on vital income to fund their charitable work.

The move has been condemned by Labour county councillors, who say it is wrong for the authority to “turf out” charity collection banks in favour of companies that will pay a fee.

Labour group leader Grant Davey said: “This whole thing stinks and we were not sold this new trading and charging agenda on the back of something like this.

“To throw registered charity clothing and book banks off car parks in public ownership, to bring in rag and bone men who pay rent, is wrong.”