The cost of North Herts Council's garden waste collection service will rise by £2 later this year, it has been confirmed.

At a meeting this week (Tuesday, January 20), the council's cabinet agreed to increase the cost of the service from £55 to £57 per year.

Cllr Ian Albert (Lab), executive member for resources, said the increase would "help cover the Veolia contract inflation costs and the council's own costs of administering the service" and added that North Herts' charge remained "competitive" compared with others in Hertfordshire.

Of the other eight councils in the county that currently charge for collecting garden waste, three have a lower cost than North Herts, while five have higher costs.

East Herts Council, which partnered with North Herts in the waste collection contract with Veolia that began last year, currently charges £59 a year for garden waste collections.

Cllr Albert added that it was "really important" that North Herts Council was continuing a half-price rate for households who receive a council tax reduction, while council leader Cllr Val Bryant said the increase was in line with inflation.

The £2 yearly increase represents a 3.6 per cent rise, roughly in line with the current 3.4% rate of inflation. 

The new charge will come into effect from April 1, with waste continuing to be collected on a fortnightly basis.  

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Councils are not legally required to collect garden waste, and around two-thirds of authorities across the country charge for collecting it.

A council report said that the charge means the service is paid for only by those households that choose to use the service. Around 30,000 households in North Herts are signed up for garden waste collection.