The leader of North Yorkshire Council has apologised after incorrectly stating just 129 bin collections were missed in the first 100 days of the new authority.
North Yorkshire Council took over responsibility for waste collections from the seven former district councils, including Harrogate, on April 1.
Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the council, said today that out of 5.6 million collections across the county since April 1, just 129 were missed in that time.
He said:
“We hope that there will be even fewer missed bins as we move forward as even one missed bin collection is important to that household.”
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However, Cllr Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough East, questioned the accuracy of the figure at today’s meeting.
Cllr Gostlow said:
“Talking with my colleagues across the former Harrogate borough and hearing from my own residents, I understand that there has been a much higher than normal missed general, garden and recycling waste bins.
“Unfortunately it also includes assisted bin collections.”
Cllr Les apologised when it was established the figure was wrong, but added he was unable to provide Cllr Gostlow with the correct figure today.
He added that the information in his statement today was given in “good faith”.
Cllr Les said:
“I will establish that figure in due course. I will send you a written answer and circulate it to all members together with the verified figures.
“As I am wrong, I apologise.”