'Clarity' needed on future of recycling site

An MP is urging two local councils to save a recycling centre that is set to close "indefinitely".

Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham, Max Wilkinson, has started a petition to save the Swindon Road site which needs a £1m funding boost to comply with new environmental regulations.

The centre is set to close on 10 January and local residents are concerned the loss of services will lead to an "influx of dumping".

Mr Wilkinson says the "unacceptable" closure will impact residents and has called for a resolution to be found as soon as possible.

Cheltenham Borough Council is thought to be the only district-level authority in the country which runs a recycling centre at the cost of £600,000 a year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It is hoped Gloucestershire County Council will take over the site, but it is expected to be closed for more than a year even if it does.

Under new government plans, the borough council could merge with the county council in the coming years and Mr Wilkinson believes both authorities have the "responsibility" to work together to find a resolution.

He said "hundreds" of people use the every day and there is "strong support" for his petition.

Residents have said the closure of the site is a "real shame."

Hedley Apperly said he and his family had used the centre for "more than 20 years" and was "not too happy" at the prospect of having to make a longer journey to dispose of his recycling.

A Cheltenham Borough Council spokesperson said it understood "how valued" waste and recycling services are to residents.

They added the council is committed to introducing more ways for people to recycle.

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