Reform councillor speaks out against his own party over controversial three-weekly collection black bin proposals – with Labour also criticising plans
A Reform councillor has spoke out against his own party’s plans to introduce three-weekly bin collections across West Northamptonshire – Labour has also criticised the plans.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is proposing major changes to bin collections, including moving to a three-weekly collection for general waste (black bin) by spring 2027, bringing Northampton in line with other areas of the region. The council says it will allow costs to be kept down and more rubbish to be recycled.
Reform councillor Nigel Berrill has spoken out against his own party, posting on social media: “This proposal has been made by cabinet members and council officers.
“As your local councillor, I was elected to represent you. While I support Reform, I want to be clear that I do not agree with this proposal.
“These changes were not put to a vote by councillors. I have raised my concerns and will continue to speak up for you.
“I will keep pushing to make sure our community’s views are heard and taken seriously.”
Labour group leader Councillor Sally Keeble has also spoken out against the plans.
Councillor Keeble said: “Reform must come clean on plans for the biggest change for almost 20 years in West Northants’ most sensitive service.
“The public needs to know:
• What date it proposes for the switchover to a three-weekly general waste collection.
• How the planned change would be rolled out.
• Whether all properties with wheelie bins will be included in the switchover.
• Whether any special arrangements will be put in place for high-density residential areas which already have major problems with refuse, litter and fly-tipping.”
She continued: “There’s already clear public opposition to these plans, as I found at a community meeting in my ward this week.
“The switch from fortnightly to three-weekly residual waste collection is the biggest change we’ve had in the service in Northampton in almost 20 years. For it to be tucked away in a paper on the future contractual arrangements is a disgrace. Waste services are the most sensitive of universal services the council provides. There needs to be much more open information and consultation about such an important decision.
“The report says the switchover would be in place by spring 2027. Does that mean it will happen this summer, this autumn or after Christmas? It also refers to ‘all suitable properties’. Does this mean all properties with wheelie bins? People need to know if their home will be included in these plans, and when.
“Astonishingly, the report also says that the council doesn’t have full records of how rubbish is collected. The report says: ‘Much of the work currently completed by operational staff relies on historic or local knowledge, which then causes difficulties if a crew member is away from work or changes duties.’ This does not augur well for the roll-out of such major changes.
“My colleagues and I will be asking for a lot more information at the cabinet meeting next week.”
The proposed move forms part of wider plans to bring waste collection services back in-house, meaning they would be run directly by the council rather than external contractors. The plans are due to be considered at a cabinet meeting on May 5.
The proposed move to a three-weekly bin collection rota has been under consideration for some time and was previously discussed at a committee meeting in January 2025 under the previous Conservative administration. This coincided with the start of a council review into its waste collection and cleansing services post-2028, when its existing contractual arrangements are due to end.
When announcing the plans, Councillor Nigel Stansfield, cabinet member for environment, recycling and waste at WNC, said: “In a Resources and Waste Strategy consultation carried out in recent years, most residents told the council that their general waste bin was not full on collection day.
“This shows that we are in a good position to harmonise how often general waste is collected across West Northamptonshire.
“This change will help us deliver an efficient and high-performing service that makes the most of the recycling opportunities already available.
“The 1, 2, 3+ system has worked extremely well in Daventry for many years and similar approaches are now becoming more common across the country.
“Bringing all suitable homes onto the same system will help us recycle more and keep costs down for the future.”
A petition calling on the council to abandon the plans has already attracted more than 1,000 signatures.