Council to consider future of recycling centre

Derbyshire County Council cabinet members will be asked to give the go‑ahead for a public consultation on the potential closure of one of its recycling centres.

The authority will decide whether to begin a consultation on the possible closure of Glossop Household Recycling Centre at a meeting on 9 April.

The council said the Melandra Road centre costs £360,000 a year to run and closing it would form part of measures to "help us ensure we can set a balanced budget".

The authority said the site received about 65,700 visits a year, the lowest number of visits among its nine recycling centres, which together receive more than a million visits annually.

The council also said the facility would require "substantial investment" to ensure it continued to meet safety regulations if it were to remain open.

As well as asking for residents' views on the potential closure of the Glossop site and being redirected to the nearest alternative facility at Buxton, a public consultation would, subject to approval, also ask for views about a range of alternative cost‑saving measures.

Councillor Carol Wood, cabinet member for net zero and environment, said: "Making sure this council is as efficient as it can be and that every pound of council tax-payers' money is accounted for and spent wisely is our top priority.

"But we won't make any decisions about the future of this recycling centre without looking at all of the options and asking local people for their views so that we can make a reasoned and balanced judgement."

If it gets the go-ahead, it is anticipated a 12-week consultation would be launched next month.

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