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CLOSING the recycling centre at Norton will result in savings of £80,000 a year when the service is concentrated on one site at Malton in the next few weeks.

The news was given by County Coun Clare Wood, North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for business and environmental services, who was replying to criticism of the closure which is due to go ahead next month.

The closure has been criticised by County Coun David Lloyd Williams, Norton's representative at County Hall and the town's mayor, who said he had not been informed of the closure, now planned for June 11.

The town council, of which he is also a member, had also not been consulted, he claimed.

"While accepting that there is a cost in retaining the two sites, in a growing move towards greater recycling and measured disposal of household and other waste, it seems madness to centralise a provision when plans are afoot to increase the number of houses in the Malton and Norton area causing even more chaos across the County Bridge," he said.

Coun Lloyd Williams has called for a review of the closure decision. He said he was also concerned about the potential increase in flytipping in hedgerows and allotments.

In reply, Coun Wood, who represents the Hovingham and Sheriff Hutton ward on the county council, said news of the pending closure of the Norton recycle unit had been reported in the press earlier this year, and that Norton Town Council had responded.

Performance at both the existing sites in Malton and Norton was below average. "Neither site is large enough to be able to offer the full range of services available at larger sites," she added.

"By combining Malton and Norton tonnages at one site, it is expected that performance will rise from the existing total combined level of 49.4 per cent to 59 per cent."

Coun Wood said that residents of a number of other towns - Sutton-in-Craven, Richmond, Filey, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Hawes, Catterick Garrison, Pateley Bridge, Ingleton, Boroughbridge, Bedale, Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Bentham and Grassington - all had to travel significantly further than the two miles from the centre of Norton to Malton's recycling site.

"I accept that Norton is larger, however the land was readily available to extend the existing site.

"No such land was available at Norton. Had the situation been reversed then I am sure these discussions would be around the closure of Malton centre. In terms of policy, we cannot justify two sites to serve the joint community."

Completion of the extension at Malton site is due for June 6, and four weeks' notice will be given of the closure of the Norton site.

"We have closed or relocated four household waste recycling centres in North Yorkshire at Settle, Tanfield, Whitby and Mickleby, and flytipping has not been a problem.

"Officers will, however, continue to monitor the situation along with our colleagues at Ryedale District Council and will take enforcement against offenders."

9:30am Wednesday 14th May 2008

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