NO TIPS in Hampshire will be closed, but their opening times will change.

Hampshire County Council rubber-stamped plans yesterday to keep open all 24 of its household waste recycling centres (HWRC) in the county.

But they will close on Thursdays and open two hours later on other days.

The announcement comes after a four-month public consultation looking into the council’s plans to make a £1.5 million cut to the Hampshire-wide service.

Cllr Rob Humby, executive member for environment and transport at Hampshire County Council, said: “I would first like to thank all those that took the trouble to respond to the consultation. This has helped to form the basis of the recommendations that I have agreed.

“Hampshire’s residents told us very clearly that their priority was to keep all the HWRCs open and I am genuinely pleased that we have found a way to make this happen.

“We do need to save money in the running costs of the service this year, but we will do this by opening two hours later each day at 11am (outside of peak morning traffic times) and closing on a Thursday. 

“We’ve achieved additional savings through procurement of a new management contract; and we will also introduce a small charge for people living outside of Hampshire so they can continue to use our service. 

“We will also be opening up the HWRC service for the first time for small businesses to use, on a chargeable basis.”

One of the other changes includes residents being charged for the disposal of soil, rubble, gypsum and asbestos.

Cllr Keith House, leader of Hampshire’s Liberal Democrat opposition group, welcomed the fact that the county council had given a temporary reprieve to closing the HWRCs but urged them to think again about their long term closure plans.

He said: “We regret that they now won’t open each day until 11am, a reduction of two hours a day, and will also be closed all day on a Thursday. 

“We are extremely concerned that this, together with the introduction of a charge for household ‘DIY-type’ waste, could lead to an increase in fly-tipping.”

Find out more about the changes to Hampshire County Council's website.