A NORTHUMBERLAND County Councillor has spoken out after a neighbouring authority announced plans to introduce a booking system for household waste and recycling centres.

A new, online booking system will be rolled out next month at Gateshead's Household and Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).

The new system will see residents book a time slot for their chosen site, up to two weeks in advance. Appointments can be easily cancelled online, if no longer required.

Over the last year, demand for HWRCs has increased, the authority said, leading to longer waiting times and traffic management issues due to the resulting queues.

An odd/even registration number system is currently in place to limit the number of cars accessing each site at any given time.

County councillor Gordon Stewart, who represents Prudhoe South, described the move as "bureaucracy gone mad."

He said: "It is a simple function to run a household waste centre, so why cause so much additional administration?

"I have asked for reassurance that Northumberland is not going to consider this and it appears it will not at this time, if it is tabled, I will oppose the idea.

"I am concerned that residents of Gateshead may travel into our county to dispose of their waste, not only will this increase congestion and traffic movements, but costs to our council tax payers and a greater environmental impact.

"Our centres are well-run with friendly and efficient staff who could do without this additional burden.

"There is a real fear that fly tipping will increase."

A Gateshead Council representative said: “Over the last two years demand for our household waste and recycling centres has increased significantly which, at peak times, has created queues with long waiting times and has had a negative impact on the local road network.

“We’ve received a number of complaints, not only from residents who have had to queue for long periods but also from local businesses/residents affected by the resulting traffic.

“We have also received numerous complaints about the odd/evens system introduced to reduce the number of vehicles on site for social distancing.

“We are confident the online booking system will make it easier for our residents to visit our Household Waste and Recycling Centres but for anyone unable to book online, appointments will still be available by ringing our customer services team.

“Many neighbouring local authorities have introduced a similar system, which has proved beneficial for their residents, and by having a booking system we are able to ensure our HWRCs serve the people of Gateshead rather than people from across the region.

“We do not expect Gateshead residents will visit Northumberland HWRCs any more than they currently do as that has not been the experience of neighbouring authorities when introducing a booking system.”