Welcome to the website of the Stratford-upon-Avon Liberal Democrats.

Are you ready for the new waste collection service? Are you aware of the last-minute changes? An information leaflet picked up a few weeks ago (It had to be asked for at the Council Office.) states that on one week, one bin will be collected, on the second, two bins. In the latest edition of the Review it's changed from two to three bins in the second week.

Your collection day may also have changed, and Kinwarton seems to have vanished, as it does not appear on the list of villages.

Is your bin too big? Hard luck - you cannot have a smaller bin until April next year, and the Council has estimated that only about 2,000 people in the whole of the District will ask for one, so get your order in quickly.

If you get through to a person on the helpline (01789 260925) they are extremely polite and helpful, but why, for all the automatic options, do you press 1? Why not 2 or 3 or 4 for different options? If you press 1 at the wrong time, you do not get the information you need and have to start again.

Enough of my rant - you can tell how I feel about the situation, especially seeing the frontages of our towns and villages spoiled by the sight of all the bins lined up outside homes where there is no easy access to the rear.

Please feel free to e-mail me chairman@stratfordlibdems.org.uk with comments or for information, or if you would like to help us by, for example, stuffing envelopes at election time or delivering a few Focus leaflets throughout the year. If you are a member and do not already receive our monthly e-mail newsletter, do contact us.

Karyl Rees

Constituency Chair, Stratford on Avon Liberal Democrats