Rutland County Council has backtracked on their plan to reduce black bin collections to once every three weeks following a petition signed by 2,248 residents. This means Rutland Council will continue with fortnightly bin collections. 

However, the petition, which was created and circulated by MP for Rutland and Stamford Alicia Kearns, the petition was refused by the council and was not allowed to be presented. 

According to Rutland Council's constitution, 'if a petition contains more than 1,500 signatures from people who live, work or study in Rutland, it will be debated by the full council.' 

Local MP Alicia Kearns speaks out against Rutland County Council's rejection of her petition (Photo: Alicia Kearns)

In a statement by Kearns, she said: "Our petition with over 2,200 signatures demonstrated the community's opposition to these proposals, yet in an extraordinary move the Council dismissed residents, claiming our petition is "considered inappropriate and not relevant to Council decision-making" and refusing the debate the petition warrants based on the Council's own constitution. Black bin collections is exactly the Council's job and it was most certainly under considerations. 

"It is an enormous relief and victory for residents that Rutland Council is no longer considering moving our black bin collections to only once every three weeks."