HALF of the county’s recycling centres could be shut to save money, sparking fears of a fly-tipping epidemic.

Oxfordshire County Council yesterday revealed its plans to build a one new site to replace Ardley, near Bicester, and Alkerton, near Banbury.

Redbridge in Oxford and Drayton, near Abingdon, would either expand or close and be replaced by new sites. Dix Pit, near Stanton Harcourt, Oakley Wood, near Wallingford and the centre at Stanford in the Vale could also close.

The proposals come as the county council tries to save money in the face of budget cuts and an increasing adult social care bill.

But Green Party leader on the county council, David Williams, said the plans – which could also see each centre’s opening times cut by 18 hours a week – would hit Oxford worst than anywhere else. Mr Williams said: “Without a doubt if Redbridge is not open as much there will be fly-tipping everywhere. It is an inevitable consequence of the whole thing – this epidemic.

“Oxford will be the one which will be worst hit. We have a large compact society, we need recycling most of all. I think it would be a disaster.”

One centre out of Dix Pit, Oakley Wood or Stanford-in-the-Vale could be saved by a cut in opening hours, according to the local authority.

Council deputy leader Rodney Rose also said the authority was considering asking the Government to change the law so people could be charged for using them. A consultation on the proposals started yesterday and will run until Monday, October 5.

Views will be sought on where a fourth centre would potentially be located and, if hours are cut, when the centres should remain open as well, as the proposals as a whole.

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said he also had concerns about fly-tipping. He said: “Any reduction in the availability of these types of facilities increases the likelihood of fly-tipping.

“I want the county council to look at the hours which suit people so we can make sure we have the type of services which work for people. Redbridge is a good site. It served the city well but it also services the surrounding villages well.”

The proposals would save the authority £350,000.

Mr Rose said: “We currently spend about 50 per cent of our budget on children and adult social care. By 2020 we believe this will be 75 per cent. I cannot put household recycling centres as being more important than looking after our vulnerable.

“Why should recycling centres be treated any differently across the county from all the cuts were are going to be putting into children’s centres, subsidised buses and so on.

Mr Rose said it was too early to say whether any of the 40 people who work at the centres would lose their jobs.

Oxford Mail:

  • The future of Oakley Wood in Wallingford is uncertain

He also said the county council was confident the plans would not lead to more fly-tipping, adding people would not end up dumping rubbish by the road if they had to travel further The sites cost £1.2m a year to run and residents made 1.08m visits to them in 2014/15.

This was a drop from 1.38m visits in 2008/9, although there was one more centre, Dean Pit, near Chadlington, which closed in September 2011.

Art historian and housewife Ann Harper from Charlbury campaigned against its closure, said: “The county council is living in cloud cuckoo land.”

The consultation will be available in libraries, at County Hall in Oxford and through the county council website at oxfordshire.gov.uk