The Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board meeting on Tuesday 20 January 2026 was scheduled to focus on significant changes to waste service delivery arrangements, particularly the proposed closure of Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) at Purton and Lower Compton. The meeting also included a presentation and opportunity for public questions regarding these changes.

Changes to Waste Service Delivery Arrangements

The primary focus of the meeting was to allow residents and local councillors to ask questions and provide feedback on proposed changes to waste service delivery. A key element of this was the decision to close the Household Recycling Centres at Purton and Lower Compton from August 2026.

A presentation was scheduled from Cabinet Members to explain the reasons behind these changes. This was followed by a session to address frequently asked questions that had been received in advance of the meeting, as detailed in the Agenda Supplement 1 and the Question and Answer Sheet. An opportunity for members of the public to ask further questions was also planned.

The report pack provided for the meeting, the Public Reports Pack, outlined the background to these proposed changes. Wiltshire Council's Cabinet, on 9 December 2025, had considered a report on Future Waste Service Delivery Arrangements ¹. This report detailed estimated budget requirements for waste services for the 2026/27 to 2028/29 period, including the impact of future waste contract decisions and mitigation opportunities. It also outlined proposals for service delivery, including forming Local Authority Trading Company (LATCO) partnerships for kerbside waste and recycling collection services and Material Recovery Facility (MRF) services.

Crucially, the Cabinet report recommended Proposal 5: to not take up the extension option with Hills Waste Services for the provision and operation of two provider owned Household Recycling Centres and close the two sites, Lower Compton and Purton, from August 2026 at the end of the current contract period. ² This decision was made to avoid significant costs associated with extending the contract for these two sites, which are owned by Hills Waste Services Ltd. The report indicated that a new, improved HRC in the north of the county was planned within 2-3 years, with suitable locations being reviewed. In the interim, a booking system was planned to be trialled at other HRCs to manage increased demand.

The report also detailed other proposed changes, including retaining the current twin-stream recycling collection system, introducing bagged flexible plastics collection from 2027, and gathering public feedback on changing the frequency of residual waste collections from fortnightly to three-weekly in 2027.

The Comments and Questions document highlighted significant public concern regarding the closure of the Purton HRC. Submissions raised issues about the accessibility of alternative sites, the potential for increased fly-tipping, and the perceived lack of transparency and public consultation in the decision-making process. Concerns were also raised about the environmental impacts of increased travel distances and the potential for road deterioration due to redistributed traffic.