Issue - meetings

To provide an update on the Waste Service round reconfiguration project against the project plan and the issues impacting on delivery of the plan.

 i.  Notes the update with regards to the current progress and anticipated implementation date for the new collection rounds as indicated in the Briefing Note circulated to Members prior to the meeting; and

ii.  That the Cabinet receive no further update reports until a final report is ready for its consideration.

The Cabinet received a report by the Interim Head of Operations (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) which contained an update on the Waste Service round reconfiguration project, issues impacting on delivery of the project plan and the remedial action initiated.

Prior to the meeting a Briefing Note had been circulated to the Cabinet which detailed an update on the Waste Service round reconfiguration and the revised anticipated implementation date for the new collection rounds.

It was explained to the Cabinet that the main factor affecting progress was the lack of responses from residents to enable the Council to assess their individual service requirements. Every individual that had an assisted collection had been contacted via letter and there were a significant number of responses outstanding, data which was essential to develop the future waste service.  The result being a delay of the project by two months that would reduce the savings delivered in 2016/17 by £34,000 (£17,000 per month), which would be met within the Operations Service budget.

In response to a question it was explained that if a resident that had not responded to the initial letter they would receive a further letter, then a telephone call and as a last resort a Council officer would personally visit the property.  As the list of those in receipt of an assisted collection had not been reviewed for some time it had made the task more onerous.  In the future the list should be reviewed annually as it was currently estimated that a third of properties on the list no longer required an assisted collection.

In considering the comments from the Overview and Scrutiny (Communities and Environment) Panel the Cabinet acknowledged that it was correct to proceed the project in the current manner.  However, until final report was ready for consideration the Cabinet requested that it receive no further update reports, particularly as the Overview and Scrutiny Panel were receiving regular updates.  Whereupon it was,

RESOLVED

that the Cabinet

  i.  notes the update with regards to the current progress and anticipated implementation date for the new collection rounds as indicated in the Briefing Note circulated to the Cabinet prior to the meeting; and

  ii.  that the Cabinet receive no further update reports until a final report is ready for its consideration.

The Panel is to receive an update on the Waste and Recycling Round Reconfiguration project.

With the aid of a report by the Interim Head of Operations (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Waste and Recycling Round Reconfiguration Implementation Update was presented to the Panel.

Members were informed that the Executive Councillor for Environment, Street Scene and Operations is still optimistic that the round reconfiguration will ‘go live’ on 21st November 2016 however if the service is not ready to deliver then the reconfiguration won’t ‘go live’. The Panel were informed that the Implementation Update presented to them in October 2016 will confirm if the Council is able to ‘go live’ on 21st November 2016.

The Panel noted that before the ‘to be’ model of waste collections can be confirmed the ‘as is’ model requires establishing. In order to do this the Council need to complete a series of projects so that the information is up to date and accurate, however the Panel were told that the service has encountered a number of problems and anomalies. The Council are currently awaiting 700 responses from residents regarding their requirement of an assisted collection. In addition in the north of the District there are 9000 residents who have two green bins, one for dry recyclates and the other for green waste, which leads to confusion for residents as well as the refuse collectors.

In addition the Council has not reviewed assisted collections for four years and sack collections for three years. The Council will endeavour to include all the planned housing developments when building the scenarios.

The Panel thanked the Interim Head of Operations for the report and emphasised that it is better if the work is not rushed and that the round reconfigurations are correct.