The new leader of Hampshire County Council has said people “will be listened to” over tip closure plans.

But Cllr Nick Adams-King could make no guarantee that Bordon’s Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) will be saved from the scrapheap as number crunchers weigh up how to save £132million.

Whitehill & Bordon Community Party leader Andy Tree has presented HCC with a petition signed by more than 2,500, with nearly 1,850 of those signatures coming from addresses within a five-mile radius of the Bordon HWRC.

Speaking Cllr Adams-King’s first meeting as leader, Cllr Tree suggested the closure would lead to more fly-tipping, and said residents wanted reassurances from the council as they feel “so let down” that HCC would even consider closing the facility.

But while the leader said HCC had been “grateful for all the feedback” given in the public consultation, he could not give Cllr Tree the reply he wanted, saying the council will review the findings ahead of a final decision later this year.

The council faces some extremely difficult choices as it bids to save £132million as it battles with rising costs and severely reduced central government funding.

Some 13 services have been earmarked for drastic cuts with subsidised public transport, libraries, crossing patrols, social care and HWRCs among them.

The Bordon, Petersfield, Aldershot and Alresford tips could be closed in a move that would save £1.6million annually.

In responding to Cllr Tree’s speech, Cllr Adams-King said: “We’re grateful for the petition you’ve given us, as we have from other people for many other sites.

“The results of the consultation were published on May 8, and the findings will be carefully considered alongside other relevant factors.

“HCC task and finish groups will shortly review the consultation documents and process and report to the county council’s cross-party select committees. Select committees will then review the consultation reports and make recommendations to the cabinet.

“We have heard what people say, and we will be doing the very best we can to ensure their concerns and aspirations are met.”

“The people we find who fly-tip most regularly are unlicensed waste carriers who trick people into giving them their waste and then dump it because they know they can’t access recycling or waste centres,” added the leader in addressing concerns about increased fly-tipping.

“I completely understand there is a concern because that’s exactly where your thought process goes if we’re going to be closing the HWRCs, but what I can promise you is wherever that’s happened elsewhere in the country, there’s not been a significant increase in fly-tipping.”