Pupils' thanks as recycling fee is dropped
THEY are delighted!
Children at Almondbury C of E Infants School have thanked Kirklees Council for giving them the go-ahead to start recycling.
It was children at the school who sparked off a campaign, after revealing that they could only save recycled paper if they paid the council £30 a time.
The issue was taken up by the Examiner and Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman - and the council changed its policy.
It has just announced that it planned to lift charges for collecting recycled goods from schools.
Mr Sheerman visited the Almondbury school to thank the children for their hard work and their efforts - which included a mountain of letters and posters to him and the council.
Headteacher Jane Sargent said: "Please convey our thanks to all those people at the Examiner who became involved with our campaign on free recycling for schools.
"The support from the Examiner made a huge difference in allowing us to publicise our concerns effectively.
"The children feel that made a real difference."
Meanwhile, councillors have clashed over recycling in schools.
Following a plea from the Examiner, Kirklees announced it would waive the £30 charge to take away paper and cardboard which children had collected.
Responding to criticism of the Conservative-run administration by Lib-Dem councillor John Smithson, Tory councillor Martyn Bolt hit back.
Clr Bolt, the council's Cabinet member for environmental matters, said: "That charge was put in place on November 29, 1993, and has remained to this day.
"Clr Smithson wasn't aware of how the council ran when he was deputy leader.
"This issue needs common sense, but Clr Smithson is just putting his head in the sand."
But the Lib-Dem replied that school recycling was not an issue when his party ran the council from 2000-06.
He said: "Recycling in schools is a fairly new thing.
"No school ever approached us to complain that they were being charged for recycling. If they had we would have waived it without hesitation.
"Clr Bolt is arguing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin."
