A DISABLED 81 year old has accused Craven District Council of thoughtless and bureaucratic behaviour after being told his assisted bin collections were being trashed just two days before Christmas.

John Sheard and his wife, Val, who live in a terraced property off Gargrave Road, Skipton, received a letter on December 23 telling them that their long standing assisted collections had been reviewed.

The letter explained waste crews could no longer collect waste from the back of the properties in Gladstone Street and would now be collecting it from the front, although it did not say when it was due to start.

It added residents would be provided with black sacks for general waste, and clear sacks for recycling, and that they would be required to take the filled bags through their homes and leave them at the front for collection. The green and blue wheelie bins could be ‘left at the back of the property, to be used for storage of sacks’.

Mr Sheard, who has had a blue disabled badge for several years and recently had a cortisone injection in his shoulder after falling in his backyard, said several of their neighbours were also elderly or disabled and would similarly struggle.

Mrs Sheard also fell six weeks ago, while fetching in the rubbish sacks, gashed her leg badly and since then has made weekly trips to Fisher Medical Centre to have her dressing changed.

Receiving the letter, on the same day Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced billions of extra money for social care of the elderly, had made him the angriest he had felt in his 30 years as a Craven resident, he said.

“I have two close neighbours in the same predicament and we were all assured that our collections would continue. Then came a letter from Waste Management Services, No Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms or office title. I have never known such anger in my 30 years as a resident,” he said.

“Until now, the bin men - great fellows - have taken our waste away. Now, in a curt letter, we have been told we must carry our waste up those steps, into our kitchen and out through the hall and leave them on the pavement.”

He added: “Have councillors approved this move? Or was this some bureaucratic whim to save some cash and sack a few of our excellent bin men, usually the only council employees we, the public, ever meet. I wonder is Boris Johnson would approve of his Tory underlings here in Craven.”

Paul Ellis, director of services, said the council was sorry to hear of Mr and Mrs Sheard’s difficulties and were happy to meet with them, discuss their issues and see if they could be resolved.

“The council is dedicated to ensuring all its residents can participate in the district’s recycling and refuse services and recognises some residents may need assistance placing their waste receptacles at the designated collection points.

“The council continues to provide, upon request, an assisted collection to residents who need assistance due to a qualifying health condition, mobility issue or disability, where there are no other members of the same household who are able to assist.

“The assisted collection will be carried out by the refuse crew from an agreed collection point at the residents’ address and the receptacle returned to the same point. To ensure compliance with health and safety requirements, a small number of existing assist customers may be asked to vary their existing points of collection. Their point of collection will however remain at their property.”

“The council will always discuss the options with each resident and investigate all practical solutions to identify a convenient collection point.”

 Mr Ellis added there are currently 870 residents who are assisted with their bin collections, including 220 added since changes were made to collections early last year.