Hike in fees for rubbish collection, parking and burials among those proposed to tackle £5m council budget gap

Rubbish collection, parking charges and burial fees could all cost Peterborough residents more cash from next year as the city council tries to address its projected £5m budget gap.

Increased charges for services such as bulky waste collections and parking permits have been proposed alongside a host of new charges, such as for pre-planning advice for minor and household works.

But – if the higher fees are approved by Peterborough City Council (PCC) councillors – they still won’t be a silver bullet: current estimates suggest the increases would only generate an extra £30k this financial year and £644k in the next.

The year after (2025–6), in which PCC’s budget gap is forecast to rise to £10.5m, they’re projected to raise an extra £834,000 – meaning other measures will also be necessary to address the gaps, which the council puts down to factors such as “higher than anticipated” inflation and growth pressures.

Garden waste collection and visitor parking permits could cost more from next year

If approved, the first set of new and higher fees would be implemented in January next year.

These include increasing the charge for additional garden waste collections from £25 to £50, increasing second, third and visitor parking permits from £44 to £64 and increasing daily fees at the Cherry Lodge children’s home from £520 to £613 for non-Peterborough residents.

They also include new charges for parking bay suspensions (£20 daily charge), which might be necessary when a skip or construction vehicle is blocking a space, and for a dispensation from parking restrictions (£15), which might be necessary when a construction vehicle needs to access a pedestrianised road.

Resident parking could also get more expensive

The second set of changes would come into effect on 1 April and include £5 being added to annual garden waste collection, an increase from £44 per year to £50 for resident parking permits and an increase in on and off street parking tariffs.

The proposals also include introducing standard charging hours for on and off street car parking from 7am to 8pm in all PCC car parks, instead of having an evening tariff.

Automatic contribution to social care for adults with disabilities could be scrapped

Other changes relate to adult social care and bereavement services.

Currently, when the council calculates how much of a financial contribution it should make towards the cost of a person’s care, it automatically adds £10, £15 or £25 per week, depending on their level of disability, towards basic costs such as cleaning or electricity for a wheelchair.

This could be scrapped, council documents say, as part of a review of current policy, although this would need to undergo public consultation first.

Meanwhile, cremation charges could be increased by two per cent and burial charges by seven per cent, while exclusive rights of burial could be increased from 60 to 75 years alongside an increase in fee.

Hike in fines for fly-tipping, litter and graffiti also planned

The proposals follow a review of the council’s current fees and charges undertaken by external specialists.

PCC says that many of the increases bring charges in line with other, similarly-sized councils or with inflation.

It also says that it will also contribute to its budget with increased fixed penalty notices for crimes such as graffiti or fly-tipping.

A review of these will be undertaken by this autumn, it says, which could see the maximum fine for fly-tipping jump from £400 to £1,000 and for litter or graffiti from £150 to £500.

All of the proposals will first be reviewed by PCC’s growth and resources committee next week before it progresses to the council’s cabinet and finally to all councillors in December when a final decision will be made.