Penny Webster commits to choice for Rodney ratepayers

Rodney ward councillor Penny Webster has responded to our petition and campaign calling for her to fight for residents in her ward for an opt-out option for new waste services the Council is proposing to introduce in Rodney and Alban

Yesterday, Cr Webster confirmed that she believes that residents should not be forced to pay through their rates for any waste collection services if they choose to use private services. 

We have welcomed the news - it is a big win for ratepayers in the local area.

Cr Webster’s approach rules out the Council using targeted or general rates to cross subsidise Council refuse or green waste collection where there are alternative private operators providing a similar service or a ratepayer chooses to do their own waste disposal — such as farmers disposing their own green waste.

Ratepayers will welcome this approach. It will ensure that any new service Council elects to provide will need to be cost effective and survive on its own merits in a marketplace where private sector competitors have equal footing.

On this basis Rodney residents would only pay the direct costs of Council run recycling through their targeted rates (as there is no private sector option) with no hidden charge for refuse collection service or green waste collection.

Councillor Webster said she supports a competitive market for refuse collection as currently in place in Rodney and will not support any Council entry into the market that is cross-subsidised from general or targeted rates.

Our campaign called on Cr Webster to stand up for her local community, and it looks like she’s doing just that.