Mark Taylor, Deputy Chief Executive of City of Wolverhampton Council said: “From today (1 April) Dudley residents can no longer use Anchor Lane tip in Bilston. This is because an existing agreement between City of Wolverhampton Council and Dudley Council has come to an end.

“We asked that Dudley Council pay a fair and proportionate share of the actual running costs for Anchor Lane.

We have been in discussions with colleagues in Dudley for more than a year and have unfortunately not been able to come to a fair agreement.

The facts are:

  • the site costs more than £1 million a year to run
  • Dudley residents account for at least 32% of visitors to the site – this was established working with Dudley colleagues
  • as a result, we asked Dudley to pay 32% of current running costs – £333,000 – not the £200,000 as per the previous agreement
  • Wolverhampton taxpayers are therefore subsidising Dudley residents using the site at a cost of £133,000 a year
  • the fees paid to us have not increased in more than a decade, since 2008/2009

“While it is regrettable that the agreement has come to an end, the council has to ensure that Wolverhampton residents are not left out of pocket – hence the review and request for Dudley to cover their costs and increase our charges.

“We are happy to continue discussions with colleagues at Dudley Council provided they are willing to pay their fair share of 32% of Anchor Lane operating costs.”

“We remind to Wolverhampton residents visit Anchor Lane and Shaw Road to bring along two forms of ID to show you live in the city.

“Finally, we expect the tips to be very busy over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and residents may face lengthy queues if visiting the sites this weekend. We remind residents that both sites are open seven days a week for your convenience.