More than a hundred people have cancelled their garden waste subscriptions this year.
It follows a price hike earlier in the year which saw the price of a subscription rise by a third — from £72 a year to £96.
When the service was first launched, it cost just £60.
Likely reason for cancellation
In a new report, the Isle of Wight council says the price hike is not the only reason people have cancelled although it is ‘likely’.
At the start of the financial year, 10,438 people subscribed to the service, but by September, the number of subscribers had dropped by 127 — around one per cent of the customer base.
IWC: Normal to see turnover of customers
Commenting on the loss of subscribers, a council spokesperson said it was normal for any paid-for service to see a turnover of customers and it happens every year.
They said there were a number of reasons people had cancelled, including moving home and off the Island and other changes in people’s circumstances.
Hastings: It would ‘risk more than they gain’
When the price hike was first announced, former council waste service lead, Cllr Steve Hastings, questioned how many Islanders would stop using the scheme over what he called a ‘dramatic’ price increase. He said it would ‘risk more than they gain’.
It was acknowledged that could happen, but it was said the benefits would outweigh the negatives.
New waste vehicle plans halted
Plans for a third green-waste vehicle — which would have cost £350,000 and served another 5,000 customers — have also been halted.
The council spokesperson went on to say the authority has considered the customer base, market saturation and demand and it was not considered a commercially prudent use of public funds to expand the service.
Subscriptions to the service for next year will open from December and run through to March 2023.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: Annie Spratt under CC BY 2.0
