A councillor has left the Labour party in Wales over the wording of a survey sent to residents about black bin collection proposals. Giles Davies said he couldn’t in good conscience retain his position as a Labour councillor and Torfaen council’s Labour chief whip.
A survey sent to all residents in Torfaen asks them whether they want to change their fortnightly black bin collections from next year to three-weekly or monthly. Cllr Davies, who from this week is an independent councillor for Abersychan, said the survey would produce responses unrepresentative of actual public opinion on the matter.
Cllr Davies said he believes many other Labour councillors agree with him but are “scared to speak about their views publicly”. He agreed his position as chief whip had become untenable after he decided to make his views known.
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“It’s certainly not a decision I’ve taken lightly, I’ve had sleepless nights over this,” Cllr Davies, who has been a councillor in Torfaen for 12 years and a Labour member since he was 16, told WalesOnline. “I’ve given up a senior allowance of almost £9,000. It’s been playing on my mind but I can’t stand by and watch this happen.”
Facing the threat of fines for missing high recycling targets, many local authorities across Wales now only collect black bins every three weeks, and Torfaen council is proposing to move to monthly collections for black bins to encourage people to think more about recycling and to cut costs. Under the plans recycling bags would be collected once a week.
“I am not disputing that something has to be done to reduce our landfill,” Cllr Davies said. “But let’s first look at what we’re doing as a council in terms of enforcement.
“I think at the moment the consultation needs to stop while we ensure our only waste collections are done correctly for a period where we also bring in some kind of enforcement. People are coming to see me saying they’ve been Labour supporters all their lives but they’re becoming disillusioned because they feel they do recycle and they’re being punished.
“What I’d like to see is that people first are given a real choice and then we look at it. But the survey gives you two options and makes you choose three-weekly or monthly. It’s insulting because once it’s done it’ll read that everyone agrees with three-weekly. It’s putting words into people’s mouths."
Cllr Davies said he worries people will begin dumping their black bins in public areas. “I see it now. There is a public waste bin just up the road in Talywain where people put black bags around it each week.”
As a result of leaving the group he will lose his position as chair of the licensing committee meaning he will miss out on a senior salary of £8,793 paid on top of the £16,800 salary all councillors will receive.
“I might now lose my seat at the next election too but at the end of the day I had to do this because I felt otherwise I wasn’t representing the people I serve and their views,” he added. “If it was just the normal anti-Labour crowd complaining that’s one thing but I’m getting it from many, many people who have never complained to me before.”
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