> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # East Suffolk council tax rebate over bin chaos defeated on casting vote - URL: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/east-suffolk-council-tax-rebate-over-bin-chaos-defeated-on-casting-vote/ - Published: 2026-09-24T07:27:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-24T07:34:59.000Z - Description: A motion asking East Suffolk Council's Cabinet to consider a council tax rebate over the Better Recycling rollout was defeated at Full Council on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, after a tied vote was broken by the chair's casting vote. - Author: Oliver Rouane-Williams - Tags: News, East Suffolk Council **Why it matters:** The vote, which impacts residents in Martlesham, Rushmere and other communities within our patch, was dramatically split 24 for and 24 against, with one abstention, making the chair's casting vote decisive in rejecting the proposed rebate. **The details:** The motion, proposed by Cllr Mark Jepson and seconded by Cllr Peter Byatt, asked Cabinet to consider a 0.2% rebate of East Suffolk Council's share of council tax for all taxpayers when setting the 2027-28 budget, "in view of the disruption and frustration caused by the Better Recycling roll-out". It said the rollout had been "plagued with operational and performance issues" that had "eroded our residents' trust in the council and its administration", and that the food caddy introduction had "experienced the highest level of failure". **What they're saying:** Opening the debate, Cllr Jepson said the motion was not about the rebate itself, but about asking the council's leadership to acknowledge they had let residents down. Cllr James Mallinder described the rollout as a "masterclass in operational failure" and said what troubled him most was Cabinet's response rather than the operational failures themselves, adding that it had "severely damaged public trust". Council leader Cllr Caroline Topping said the administration was taking the motion seriously and was considering it properly. She asked whether residents who had already experienced four months of problems with bin collections were asking the council to cut services to save 39p on their council tax, or simply to get it right. **The other side:** Cllr Amanda Folley said the rebate would be a very small amount and more of an insult to some residents, and did not support the motion. Cllr Daly said it worked out at about 39p per person and agreed it would be seen as an insult by those worst affected. Cllr Thompson said the rebate would simply be a cut to council tax the council would not get back. Deputy leader Cllr Paul Ashton said everyone had apologised repeatedly, and that it was untrue to say otherwise; he said what people wanted was not a few pence, but an understanding of what went wrong and assurance the council would not repeat its mistakes. During the debate, Cllr David Beavan produced a puppet described as a "consultant" while responding to the motion. Summing up, Cllr Jepson said the moment had made "a mockery of a serious issue", calling it "quite poor", and said councillors were missing the point of a motion intended to recognise residents affected by the rollout. **For context:** The rebate motion came after four questions from councillors, and one from a member of the public, to Cllr Sally Noble, cabinet member for the environment, on the Better Recycling rollout. Deputy leader Cllr Ashton earlier told the meeting the service has "stabilised" and that a "Bin Hub" has worked effectively in reducing missed collections, though the council is still looking to re-route some collections, aiming to go live by 5 October. **The bottom line:** The proposed rebate is not going ahead, following the Chair's casting vote and after councillors were split on whether it was the right way to respond to months of disruption from the Better Recycling scheme. --- **Don't forget:** If you enjoy our content, please [add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) so you can easily find more of the content you value. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) --- ### This article cost us \~£63 to produce It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners. Please support us by supporting them.