A free bulky uplift service for people in Falkirk on low incomes will be scrapped from April, although eligible residents will get a 50 per cent discount instead.
Members of Falkirk Council ‘s executive agreed the cost-cutting measure on Thursday as the council looks for ways to close a £60 million gap between income and spending.
Falkirk is one of five local authorities in Scotland that provide any free uplifts for residents and councillors were told that this cost is “unsustainable”.
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At the moment, most Falkirk Council residents who request a bulky uplift – which includes up to five large items – will pay £45 for the service.
However, people eligible for council tax reduction benefit can currently get one free uplift a year.
The report highlighted that in 2023/24 offering the free service cost around £85,000 and around 35 per cent of all uplifts were provided free of charge – 2732 in total.
Officers say that charging even a discounted price for the service would generate a projected income of £68,000 and move the service into the black.
Councillor Bryan Deakin, the SNP’s environment spokesperson, said: “We all know the significant financial pressure the services are under and we need to look at ways to relieve that pressure and to ensure that we can deliver the services our communities need the most.
“This increase is small and we remain one of the only local authorities that provide a discounted service for our residents on council tax relief.”
A £5 increase in the charge for the service will also be proposed in the budget for 2025/26.
The proposal was not opposed by either the Labour or Conservative group.
Waste services manager Douglas Gardner denied that the changes could bring increased fly-tipping.
Independent councillor Laura Murtagh agreed the council “had to do this” but she said she was concerned that the wider impact on disabled residents living in poverty had not properly been considered.
“People are being told that they can go to a recycling centre and ask for help but that is a much more challenging thing if you are disabled,” she said.
“It’s more difficult for a disabled person to get a bulky item into a vehicle and take it to the kerbside.”
She was concerned that the council’s equalities and poverty impact assessment (EPIA) had not properly considered the impact and therefore had not thought about any possible mitigation.
Director of Place Services Malcolm Bennie said an EPIA had been done when the original change to start charging had been made in 2022.
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