Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Environment enclosed.

That the Executive report appended to the Council report, together with the Improvement Action Plans, which gave an assurance that the Council would deliver high performing collection services when they were implemented, be noted.

CouncillorN.M. Matthews, Executive Member for Waste Management introduced a report to update Members on the review of the Council’s new waste collection service, following the resolution made at the County Council meeting held on 31 January, 2012.

            The approval process for the new collection scheme required that a review be undertaken to assess the success of the new service.  The timetable for the review had been set out in the Executive report, shown at Appendix A of the Council report, together with the impact on waste collections since the introduction of the new full service on 7 November, 2011.  A number of surveys had been carried out across a range of groups, including Members, Customers, Town & Community Councils and Employees.  The responses to the surveys were shown in the Executive report.

            In conclusion, Councillor Matthews said that the review would make the service even better and proposed that the Council support the recommendation as outlined within the report.  This was seconded by Councillor L.A. Sharps.    

            Councillor R.C. Bithell thanked Councillor Matthews and the officers for undertaking the review which had been brought forward following the notice of motion submitted by Members of the Labour Group.  He outlined instances where problems with the collections of black and brown wheelie bins continued but welcomed the action plan as set out within the report.  Councillor N.M. Matthews asked that any Members who continued to experience problems report them to her at the end of the meeting so that they could be resolved as soon as possible.

            Councillor A.P. Shotton welcomed the review but had hoped that as part of the review details of how the new service had been strategically introduced and the affect the financial savings made were having on the new service would have been provided to Members.  He also raised concern on assisted collections and asked when the tracking system would be operational.  The Head of Streetscene reported that all new vehicles had been fitted with trackers and the relevant information would be uploaded onto the trackers on a ward by ward basis.  The deadline for completion of this work was December, 2012.  

            Councillor M.J. Peers, as Chairman of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, reported that following the County Council meeting on 31 January, 2012 a Workshop had been held on 7 March, 2012.  He thanked Members for their ideas and suggestions and the officers contributions during the Workshop.  He also reported that during the Audit Committee meeting officers agreed to undertake an audit of the Streetscene service in 2012/13.

            Councillor R.P. Macfarlane asked where the food waste collected across the County was being disposed of and also how the Council proposed to deal with side waste.  Councillor A. Minshull also commented on side waste and said that there was a need for the Council to take enforcement action in the future against residents who did not comply with the new service.

            The Director of Environment reported that food waste was being transported to North  ...  view the full minutes text for item 169