Agenda item

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Waste Strategy, Public Protection and Leisure provided details on the outcome of the extended dialogue and discussions with County Councillors and local Community Councils over the future of Hope Household Recycling Centre (HRC).

Since Cabinet in April 2015 the following additional consultation meetings had taken place:

·         Cabinet Member and Chief Officer met with all of the local County Council Members (including the new Member for Caergwrle)

·         Cabinet Member and Chief Officer attended the following Community Council meetings:

o   Leeswood

o   Hope and Caergwrle

o   Treuddyn

o   Penyffordd

o   Kinnerton

o   Llanyfynydd

The Cabinet Member and Chief Officer were well received at each of the meetings and were provided with the opportunity to outline the background to the proposal to close the site.  A summary of the questions asked at each of the meetings was attached as appendix 1.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) explained that during the meeting with County Councillors in May 2015, an alternative option which would involve the transfer of the facility to the community under asset transfer arrangements was suggested.  The proposal would result in the site continuing to operate as a community asset with local volunteers or community groups taking on responsibility for the site and all of the daily activities there, full details of which were outlined in the report.

If an expression of interest was received from one or more of the local Community Councils or community groups to proceed on that basis, the Council would operate the arrangements outlined in the report, recycling and weekend only, in the interim period to allow the asset transfer to take place and the new operating arrangements to be introduced.

The information and proposed new operating model was then presented to each Community Council and during the period of the meeting schedule, a second option was also put forward by one of the Community Councils for the site to become recycling only and weekend only from 1 July 2015.

Subject to the receipt of an expression of interest from one or more Community Council or community group by 31 August 2015, the site would remain open on that basis to allow the community to develop a volunteer’s rota to operate the site.  Following receipt of the rota the site would then remain in the ownership and management of the Council, with the site staff provided through the community to run the facility at weekends.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That it be approved that Hope HRC operates on a weekends only basis from 6 July 2015 and received only recycled material at the facility after this date;

(b)       That the closing date for the receipt of expressions of interest from any Community Council(s) or community groups indicating interest in operating the facility or providing volunteers to operate the site in future be approved;

(c)        That the closure of the site on 1 September 2015 be approved should no expressions of interest be received or at date between 1 September 2015 and 1 January 2016 if there was no evidence during the period that the expression of interest received is likely to progress; and

(d)       That extending the period of operations at the facility on a weekend / recycling only basis be approved, subject to the receipt of an expressions of interest from any Community Council(s) or community groups to operate the facility as a community asset.