Even though York's recycling rate has recently rocketed under the Lib Dems to 43%, next year Council Tax Payers will end up sending £2 million in Landfill Tax to central government with little sign of this coming back to help bring in new recycling collections.

Cllr Nigel Ayre with the Liberal Democrat Council team

Cllr Ayre said;

"I think it is a disgrace that central government continues to swipe money that rightfully belongs to the residents of York. The £2 million should be used to improve services across the city and all Liberal Democrat councillors support this. This government thinks nothing of breaking its promises and should be held to account. When I talk to residents they can't believe the government gets away with it.

It's shameful that some councillors aren't backing the call for a fair funding deal for York. How can they continue to defend a government fiddle that holds back the funds for a recycling roll out to the very people that they represent ?

I call on all residents and councillors from all parties to get behind this campaign and ensure that the city and its people get a fair deal from central government

The Landfill Tax was set up in 1996 to provide incentives for councils to recycle rather than send waste to landfill. But it was promised at the time that this would not be a money spinner for central government and the money would be 'recycled' with local government to help pay for recycling collections. So far, since 1996, York has paid £12 million, but has only received £3.5 million back in grants and help for recycling collection.

In April the landfill tax will go up from £24 to £32 per tonne, and councils up and down the country asked government to earmark this extra funding for help to councils. So far Labour Ministers have been silent on whether they intend to return this money to the council tax payers who have this built into their council tax.

In York this has happened even with an increase of recycling rates from 12% under Labour to 42% under the Lib Dems ! We have beaten every Government set target, and still they are penalising us, and taking money that we could otherwise use to bring the final 10% of residents onto recycling collections, and expand further the range of materials that can be collected.

Currently £1.6 million is spent on Kerbside Collections and it is ludicrous that the government is taking away resources which would otherwise reduce still further the amount of rubbish going to landfill.