The Leader of Milton Keynes Council, Cllr Pete Marland, has confirmed that the controversial tip booking system will be reviewed after a short trial period with no social distancing restrictions.
A local resident, Pushpinda, raised concerns about the new tip booking system as they asked the Council leader: "When are you scrapping the tip booking system? It was temporary due to COVID-19.
"I cannot plan ahead as I work on zero-hours and only get told late in the evening if I am working the next day, which includes weekends as well."
Giving his view on the issue, Cllr Pete Marland said: "I know there is an extremely split opinion on this, my personal view is I don't think that the tip booking system is a bad thing.
"Many other councils like Buckinghamshire are actually passing motions to introduce a tip booking system because it stops people queuing.
"In the first few weeks, there were teething problems, not least because of the number of appointments available and the sheer number of people that had built up, over the course of six months, stuff that they wanted to take to the tip.
"Social distancing meant that there was a restriction of supply, particularly over the winter months because the tips are open for fewer hours.
"There is still a moderate constriction on supply due to social distancing, but once those restrictions are gone, we can introduce more booking slots into the system.
"When social distancing ends, fingers crossed on July 19th, we will look at how the tip booking system works over the course of three months with no social distancing restrictions.
"After those three months, we will have a look at it and decide whether to continue or not.
"Frankly, there is no 'socialist' or 'conservative' tip booking system, we just want to do what is right. Some people like the tip booking system, some people don’t."
The tip booking system was introduced last year during the height of the pandemic. The new booking system removed any unscheduled visits and saw people having to book online or via telephone with their vehicle registration for a 15-minute appointment.
Once booked, residents will receive a confirmation email, which they need to provide alongside proof of address (e.g. driving license) to be allowed on site.
To much disarray, this system was made permanent earlier this March, many local Conservative figures have since called for it to be scrapped as they believed it is a waste of time and only results in more people fly-tipping.
Fly-tipping in Milton Keynes has recently hit record levels, with national reports rising by over 300% over the last year.
During March 2021, figures showed that local residents were reporting fly-tipped rubbish around 20 times per day - with 631 total reports throughout the month.
Cllr Pete Marland confirmed that this issue was also on the Council's radar as he said that a "comprehensive report into fly-tipping" was underway.
The report will look at all potential local factors that have resulted in reports rising - including the new tip booking system, although the Council leader has previously denied any link between the booking system and the increase in fly-tipping.
If you are aware of any incidents of fly-tipping, you can report it to Milton Keynes Council directly by clicking here.
READ MORE - Fly-tipping in Milton Keynes has increased to 'record levels' with up to 20 reports being made daily
