Bedford Borough’s elected Conservative mayor has been accused of “gaslighting” the electorate over proposed charges for green waste collection.
The mayor proposed the charge in October 2025 as part of a savings plan to support the council’s struggling finances, saying they would consult with locals about whether they felt the charge was justified.
Green bin charges were among the key changes that the mayor’s administration was considering and were put to a public consultation in November 2025.
Read: £11.5m Bedford Borough Council savings plan includes cuts to staff, voluntary service and libraries
However, yesterday (Monday) the mayor told the Bedford Independent emphatically that the council will not charge for green waste in the future, even though he proposed the changes and said at a council meeting that the decision would be made following a public consultation.
The commitment to holding a consultation was made during the budget discussion at the Full Council meeting on 8 October 2025. Minutes of the meeting can be read here.
Currently, Bedford Borough Council does not charge for green waste collections, which take place from March to November on a fortnightly rota with orange dry recycling collections.
At the meeting on 8 October 2025, and in response to a question from the Liberal Democrats, mayor Wootton agreed that if a majority of Bedfordians were against the proposed charges, he would not impose them.
This week, Bedford’s Liberal Democrats handed the mayor a 1,200-strong petition, rejecting the plans, which seems to have been organised in an effort to show the mayor the strength of feeling against the charge.
However, in a statement to the Bedford Independent yesterday (Monday), mayor Wootton emphatically insisted that he “made it clear” that green waste collections would not be charged for, and the petition was a redundant exercise.
“I made it clear at Full Council last year that we would not be charging for green waste,” said mayor Wootton.
“I find it insulting to the people of Bedford that the Liberal Democrats have once again chosen to waste residents’ valuable time with political scaremongering on an issue that has already been decided.
“If the Liberal Democrats spent as much time working constructively as they do talking down Bedford, perhaps they wouldn’t have left the Council’s finances in such a difficult position in the first place, where measures like this ever have to be considered.”
“Gaslighting”
The Bedford Independent has found no record of the mayor making this statement at any Full Council meeting or Executive meeting in October, November or December.
A spokesperson for the mayor defended the comment, saying, “The mayor’s position is clear, he has been against introducing these charges and does not want to bring them in.
“This was also stated during an Executive/Full Council meeting, but we don’t currently have the capacity to go back through recordings to pinpoint the exact timestamp.”
In response to the mayor’s denial, a Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: “The mayor proposed this in his own budget consultation – it is there in black and white for everyone to see.
“For the mayor to dismiss the concerns of 1,200 worried residents is extremely disappointing.
“Residents of Bedford Borough deserve better than gaslighting by the Conservatives. This is yet another example of not taking responsibility for his own actions and flailing around to deflect attention wherever he can.
“This flat rate green waste charge is going to hit those who can least afford it hardest. With no exemption for those on Universal Credit or PIP, the green waste charge is another Conservative tax balanced on the backs of the poorest.
“Over 1,000 signatures clearly demonstrate the strength of feeling about the impact of this charge. Liberal Democrats will hold the mayor to his commitment,” said a LibDem spokesperson.
The ‘No to Green Waste Charges’ petition attracted 1,207 signatures
“A charge for green waste is a thinly disguised increase in tax – a stealth tax – for residents. It comes on top of increases in charges for car-parking and record council tax rises,” said cllr Henry Vann (De Parys ward), the leader of the Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats.
“The financial burden for residents from this Conservative administration continues to grow and puts increasing pressure on household budgets that are already squeezed.”
