Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils set to increase cost of garden waste collection

Fees and charges for council services are to be discussed next week by two district councils.

Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Council cabinets will meet on Monday to agree proposed fees and charges for a range of council services in 2023/24.

Proposed changes to fees and charges for a range of council services next year cover statutory charges - which are set nationally and which the councils cannot control, such as licensing and building control -and discretionary charges for non-essential services, such as bulky item or garden waste collections.

The councils say the proposed change affecting most people would be an increase of £2 a year for garden waste collections from next April, with renewals going from £57 to £59 for existing customers. New customers would pay £69 - a £7 increase, the equivalent of £2.65 for each fortnightly collection.

Council fees and charges are a key revenue stream for local authorities, helping maintain essential services for residents and communities.

If agreed, the changes will bring in just over £5.4 million for Mid Suffolk - equivalent to 15 per cent of gross expenditure, and £4 million for Babergh District Council, equivalent to 11 per cent of the council’s gross expenditure.

The expected revenue is then built into the draft general fund budgets for both councils for 2023/24, which also determines the level of Council Tax residents will have to pay next year.

The councils’ cabinets will also meet this month to discuss how to best help those most in need and the possibility of ‘zero Council Tax’ for the poorest households under their Council Tax Reduction Scheme.