DORSET Council is planning to fork out hundreds of thousands of pounds so residents can use recycling centres in other local authority areas.

Plans to pay Hampshire County Council to allow residents to use the Somerley Household Recycling Centre (HRC) near Verwood will be discussed by Cabinet members on November 5.

Initial plans proposed charges for non-Hampshire residents but, if the payment is approved by members, no direct charges will be payable.

A similar deal is also being proposed to allow residents to use three tips in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council area - at Millhams, Nuffield and Christchurch.

Dorset Council officers have also started investigating the possible development of a new recycling and waste transfer facility in the east of the county.

Cllr Tony Alford, Portfolio Holder for Customer, Community and Regulatory Services at Dorset Council, said: “This is great news for Dorset residents in the east of the county, who made it clear how much they value the site at Somerley and that they expect councils to work together in the best interests of the taxpayer.

“Through better cross-border working with both Hampshire County and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Councils, we can maintain current arrangements which are convenient for local residents, better for the environment and help alleviate pressure on our other household recycling centres.”

Dorset Council ran a survey earlier this year, asking residents for their views on the plans to charge non-Hampshire residents to visit Somerley.

Most respondents indicated that they expected the two councils to resolve any issues to maintain the current level of free access local Dorset residents enjoy.

In July, the council’s Place Scrutiny Committee requested that a solution be found which doesn’t involve direct charging of visitors. Renewed talks took place last month, led by Dorset Council leader Cllr Spencer Flower.

A survey is due to be carried out to determine the use of all Dorset Council HRCs by residents outside Dorset, to help inform the HRC review and future strategy.

The Dorset Waste Partnership, and then Dorset Council, raised concerns that charging Dorset residents to dump their waste over the county border in Somerley would be an inconvenience for those who live nearby.

This would have potentially caused them to drive a greater distance to their nearest free-access HRC in Wimborne, which could suffer increased costs and congestion as a result.

This, in turn, would lead to increased carbon emissions from longer vehicle journeys, contradicting developing plans for tackling climate change in the wake of Dorset Council’s Climate Emergency declaration last May.