An Oxford academic and fundraiser has been told that she must pay her council tax after she withheld it in protest at the city’s waste collection scheme.
The District Judge enforced her liability to pay outstanding tax, but denied the Council’s request for legal costs or any penalty fee from the defendant.
Dr Frances Kennett had refused to pay a month’s tax as a protest against Oxford City Council’s introduction of a fortnightly rather than weekly waste collection, which she said has made her home a health risk. Dr Kennett, who lives in Jericho, claims that the rat problem caused by waste in her garden has forced her to spend money taking rubbish to the dump and making repairs to her house.
The Judge presiding over Dr Kennett’s case at the Magistrate’s Court on Friday expressed sympathy for Oxford’s widespread infestation issues, and linked them directly to the Council’s decision to reduce waste collection. He said he was obliged by law to insist on tax payments, but hoped that the Council would contact the Jericho resident to discuss their next steps before taking further action.
Dr Kennett said she was delighted by the ruling, and does not intend to pay the outstanding sum until she hears from councillors about their plans to resolve Oxford’s waste disposal issues. "I think my case is building pressure on the Council and increasing the chance of something happening. I think it’s incredibly positive," she said.
The move to reduce waste collection, headed by executive member Councillor Jean Fooks, was hailed at first as an attempt to increase recycling levels. "Faced with increasing charges for landfill waste, and fines if we exceeded our landfill allowance, we had no alternative," she said.
Eric Murray, head of the campaign ‘Collect Rubbish in Oxford Weekly’ (CROW) said that the refuse problem has moved from landfill sites to the streets of Oxford following the introduction of the scheme. "We have seen parts of our city turn into roadside rubbish dumps," he said. He commended Dr Kennett’s protest as "a very brave move".Her actions have also met with widespread support from residents of Osney and East Oxford, many of whom have experienced infestations of flies, maggots and rats since the Council’s decision was made nine months ago. Advice on avoiding smells and animals include putting animal carcasses in the freezer until collection day and sealing organic waste in newspaper and a plastic bag before putting it in a bin.
