There are no immediate plans to shut a recycling centre, which two years ago was earmarked for closure in a cost-saving measure.
Somerset Council published plans in January 2024 to shut five of the county’s 16 recycling centres, including one in Cheddar, in a bid to save £963,000.
Somerset Council has now confirmed Cheddar’s recycling centre will remain open with its current hours for the foreseeable future.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, lead for waste services, said: “If any closure is proposed, it will go through a full public consultation before any decision is taken.”
Sites in Castle Cary, Cheddar, Crewkerne, Dulverton and Williton were all put at risk of closure after the council declared a financial emergency in 2024.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, resident Graham Godwin-Pearson, who served as a Conservative councillor for Axbridge until 2023, raised the issue when the council’s executive committee met on Wednesday.
He said: “Could you confirm whether or not the council intends to close Cheddar recycling centre, and if so when this is likely to happen?”
Councillor Wilkins responded that the Cheddar facility will remain open for now.
He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, no decision has been made to close Cheddar recycling centre.”
The council’s draft budget proposals for this year also make no reference to changes to the authority’s 16 household waste recycling centres.
But, plans do include additional charges for garden waste collections which could rise from £68 per year per bin to £73.50.
