AN MP has called for an end to the fees people living in Barrow must pay to have garden waste removed.

Simon Fell said it was unfair that South Lakeland and Eden residents were not subject to the same costs. 

The Barrow and Furness MP described the payment, which is £46 per year for online bookings, as a 'regressive tax' and said not removing it risked 'more fly-tipping, non-compliance and resentment' having to be dealt with by Westmorland and Furness Council (WFC), the unitary authority that came into being on April 1.

WFC's first ever budget included a hike in, and harmonisation of, council tax rates for those living in the Barrow, South Lakeland and Eden areas.

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Mr Fell said 'dozens' of people had written to him about the garden waste payment and that removing it would have been a 'crumb of comfort' amid the council tax rise.

He also voiced his concerns over Twitter, calling on the public to send messages to the council expressing their displeasure.

One commenter, @Colin_Beach, pointed out below Mr Fell's post that those living in Barrow received benefits, such as weekly bin collections, that people living, for example, in South Lakeland, did not.

And WFC has responded to Mr Fell's concerns, saying the council is 'committed' to 'improving and harmonising' waste and recycling collections across the Westmorland and Furness area.

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“We are now England’s third-largest unitary authority by area, delivering services to 225,000 people across nearly 4,000 sq kilometres, and the work to harmonise weekly waste and recycling collections across the whole area of the new council will be complex and require substantial logistical and contract changes," said a spokesman.

“It is important this harmonisation work is carried out in a robust and carefully managed way to ensure that, moving forward, we are providing the very best service for our communities, helping residents to recycle more and delivering the best value for money.

“Before any changes to our waste and recycling collections are implemented, we will consult and engage fully with residents and our priority is to maintain the highest levels of service while we examine the opportunities for improvements and harmonisation.”