Ludlow tip campaigner hits out at online system
Campaigners battling to save Ludlow's tip from closure have hit out at Shropshire Council – claiming a web page set up to allow them to have their say does not work properly.
The local authority was expected to announce last month that the waste and recycling site in Coder Road was to shut, despite a petition containing more than 1,000 names being handed in at Shirehall.
But at the eleventh hour it was granted a last-minute reprieve, as council chiefs announced there would be an extra period of consultation to allow everyone to have their say.
Although a request for a public meeting was refused, a web page was set up on Shropshire Council's website on which people could comment until Christmas Eve, with a final decision expected early in the new year.
But Andy Wright, from Ludlow and one of the campaigners hoping to save the tip, said he had been left frustrated and annoyed when he went on to give his opinions.
He said: "It is unsurprising that Shropshire Council thinks it has had little objection to its plans to close its Coder Road recycling site at Ludlow.
"Quite apart from choosing to ignore a petition signed by well over 1,000 concerned residents objecting to the closure, it has now put up a page on its website as a second consultation.
"The trouble is, that page does not work.
"The tick boxes don't respond and when I tried to report it via the customer call centre I had to hold for 10 minutes before being told to write an e-mail.
"What a sham.
"It's pointless responding through my local councillor because the meeting has been cancelled to save money.
"So much for democracy."
But Larry Wolfe, head of waste management with Shropshire Council, said: "The website and online consultation form are working normally.
"Indeed we have received a steady flow of responses via the site over the past few weeks," he added..
"However, it's important to stress that the online form is not the only way to take part in the consultation.
"Any comments sent in via e-mail, or by letter, will also be considered before any decision is made – as will any comments passed to us via local councillors.
"Though the November meeting of the full council was postponed, people can still contact their local councillor with their views and ask them to pass these on to us.
"The consultation runs until 24 December and we encourage people to take part and to let us have their responses by then.
"Mr Wright also sent his letter to the council and we have already replied to him personally to address his concerns."
