Doubt has been cast over whether Hampshire County Council is aware how scrapping telephone bookings for recycling centres is affecting residents.

The council moved to a new online system earlier this year which no longer allows telephone reservations to use the tips.

Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Tod questioned how the local authority was monitoring the impact of this online-only approach.

Residents who do not have access to the internet at home are advised to make bookings at libraries, where staff and volunteers are on hand to provide support.

Cllr Roz Chadd, Conservative councillor responsible for children’s services, said the authority did not hold a specific figure for how many residents lack home internet access.

She said libraries also did not record the number of residents assisted to make household waste recycling centre (HWRC) bookings.

Cllr Chadd added: “However, officers have confirmed support is available and has been routinely provided for residents who require assistance to access public computers in our libraries to use the HWRC online booking system.

“Residents without an email address can enter [email protected] in the email field and proceed with the booking although they will not receive email confirmations or reminders.”

She said there was a range of wider digital inclusion support available for residents.

Cllr Tod told the July council meeting that the most recent available figures for 2022/23 showed there were 2.1 million bookings for Hampshire household waste recycling centres.

He said nationally around five to 10 percent of people do not have access to the internet, meaning the online-only approach could directly affect an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 bookings a year.

Cllr Tod, Winchester Westgate representative, said: “It’s a major number and a major number of people.

“Given that people without internet access are more likely to be disabled, on low incomes, possibly elderly, do you think the county is doing enough to fulfil its inclusion obligations to people who don’t have access to the internet?

“Do you think it’s adequate that the phone service gets scrapped, you don’t know what proportion of people are going to be affected by it and you don’t know if the plan you have put in place to address it is working or not?”

He asked for the council to put a system in place to monitor how the library support offer is being used.

Cllr Chadd said: “I think we do wonderful work in our libraries in supporting our communities with helping them with digital access using our public computers.”

She said a full written response would be provided to Cllr Tod as the questions covered multiple departments.

The decision to end the HWRC telephone booking service was approved in January 2025.