To answer any questions submitted by the public in accordance with the Constitution.
The deadline for the receipt of public questions is five days prior to the meeting and must be submitted to the Monitoring Officer.
Minutes:
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.1, the following Public Question was presented to the Council -
What factors contribute to the Huntingdonshire District Council’s Decision to disregard public input and proceed with the implementation of garden waste green bin subscription service, despite the absence of a public consultation process and provisions of inadequate and inconsistent evidence presented to the Scrutiny Committee?
In thanking the questioner for his question, the Executive Leader began by confirming that she had read all the comments that individuals had submitted alongside the current petition, together with letters, Facebook posts etc and that she hoped that the questioner had been able to watch the Cabinet meeting held yesterday evening.
By way of background, she went on to explain that the implementation of a garden waste green bin subscription service had been a difficult decision for the Joint Administration which had been driven by financial issues. From the outset of their election in May 2022, the challenge for the Administration had been to understand and address the budgetary position which it had inherited.
Councillor Conboy went on to explain that at the Council meeting in December 2022, the Council agreed a set of budget principles for the forthcoming year which had set a clear steer as to what the Council would seek to achieve and what they would seek to protect. These principles included the need to protect front line services and an agreement that non-statutory services or those that compete in a commercial environment shouldn’t burden those taxpayers who can’t take advantage of them.
She went on to explain that in February 2023, the Council set a balanced budget which didn’t utilise reserves and yet protected front line services at a time of soaring inflation and a cost-of-living crisis. As part of that budget several savings and income generation schemes were put forward – including garden waste subscription. She reiterated that the decision to propose a garden waste subscription service was not one which was taken lightly or without significant discomfort. Guidance provided by the Council’s Responsible Financial Officer (S151 Officer) recommended that the Council needed to reduce its reliance on central government funding and to develop sustainable ways of generating income. Such that over the next 4 years, the Council might face a potential funding deficit of 9.7M. Introducing a garden waste subscription service was identified as a keyway of protecting front line services from service cuts.
The Executive Leader explained that unlike household waste and recycling there was no requirement for the District Council to collect garden waste and that not all properties in Huntingdonshire used the service. In fact, records illustrated that out of 83% of those properties with a green bin, 30% were not regularly using it. The current garden waste collection scheme costs the Council more than 800K a year. Rather than remove the service, given the value it represents to many residents the Joint Administration were of the view that this should be kept and charged for much like the existing bulky refuse service. Across the country, 65% of authorities already charged for this service as did a number of authorities in our region.
Regarding public consultation, the Executive Leader went on to explain that as a matter of law there is no general duty to consult before making this sort of decision. However, Huntingdonshire District Council believed in keeping residents informed of what is happening and had chosen to inform residents of their intentions. In doing so, the Council had tried to be transparent about the challenges it faced and the decisions which needed to be taken. Whilst the Administration were committed to listening and responding to feedback, the bottom line was that the Administration needed to balance its books.
In response to some of the concerns which had been expressed about vulnerable residents within the District, Councillor Conboy reminded Members that the Council operates a Resident’s Advice and Information team that can assess people’s personal circumstances and look at ways of accessing sustainable and small funding pots to achieve their goals. It would continue to offer that service and support, particularly around household expenditure. She was also pleased to report that the consultation had now started around proposals for a new Council Tax Support Scheme.
In addressing the concerns that had been expressed by some about the environmental impacts of the garden waste subscription scheme, Councillor Conboy reminded the Council that garden waste could be composted and used as mulch. In addition, because only those residents that subscribe would need that collection, this would reduce CO2 emissions. Whilst there continued to remain concerns that adding to grey bins wasn’t environmentally friendly, statistics had shown that the levels of organic waste found in grey bins were already quite high and further work needed to be done to find ways to reduce the overall volume of organic waste collected.
In concluding her remarks, the Executive Leader reiterated that the District Council was committed to working with residents, towns, parishes, and District Councillors to understand how they could implement the proposals. She understood that people felt passionate about these proposals, and it was not the preferred choice of the Joint Administration, but she was keen to work with and listen to the views of local communities to reduce, recycle, and reuse.