Three Cheshire East tips expected to close in April look set to be mothballed in that month rather than permanently shut – with a final decision being taken in September.

Cheshire East's environment and communities committee yesterday (Tuesday) voted by six to five in favour of recommending to the corporate policy committee that there be an 'emergency reduction of household waste recycling centres (HWRC)… from April 1, 2024, in advance of the formal HWRC review being presented to committee later in 2024'.

If agreed the tips at Bollington, Middlewich and Poynton will be 'mothballed' on April 1 this year.

Ralph Kemp, head of environmental services, told Tuesday's meeting: "The existing household waste centre contract has within it the ability to mothball sites within the contract… from April 1, in advance of any formal decision being made.

"So, it's not saying we couldn't re-open them in the future once we've had a formal procurement or a formal decision agreed, it's just recognising the financial position the committee and the council's in."

The emergency closure would save an estimated £750,000 in the 2024/25 financial year.

In the meantime the review of all the sites across the borough would be conducted.

Tom Shuttleworth, interim director of environment and neighbourhoods, told councillors: "We'd be looking at a report to this committee in September around the permanent long-term future for HWRC provision in the borough…

"That would be supported by the feasibility study… the outcome from the procurement etc and then, with a view to the new contract and the final solution being in place for April 2025."

He added: "This is a one-year, 12-month, savings proposal, simply on the basis that, by April 1, 2025, we expect to have the permanent solution in place."

Macclesfield councillor Mary Brooks (Lab) asked: "Are we confident that the remaining HWRCs [at Alsager, Crewe, Knutsford and Macclesfield] are equipped to cope with additional volumes of waste?"

She also raised concerns about fly-tipping if the three HWRCs closed.

Mr Kemp said the authority could cope with four centres although acknowledged 'it may involve, at peak times, some form of queuing or traffic management'.

He said when the council had closed Congleton and Arclid tips there hadn't been a large spike in fly-tipping.

"What we tend to see is initial protest fly-tipping in the immediate vicinity of the site, so people turning up and dumping it at the gate," he said.

Cllr Judy Snowball (Macclesfield, Lab) said: "So there wouldn't be any prospect of any changes taking place, either in staffing, maintenance or in terms of site changes that would preclude them being re-opened should the feasibility, the procurement and ultimate decision be that they are going to be re-opened?"

Mr Shuttleworth said staffing was a matter for the contract provider – and as there's a procurement process under way that would change anyway.

"But, in terms of the sites themselves, there's no intention to modify them in any way simply because there isn't the money to do that and there's no real need to do that either," he said.

The 'emergency closure' decision will now be considered by the corporate policy committee at its meeting in February.

A final decision on the one-year closure will then be made at the full council's budget meeting on February 27.