Agenda item

As detailed in the recommendation with an additional recommendation as detailed below:

(2)       That a full review of charges, possible concessions and take up rates is undertaken between September and December 2018.

Councillor Thomas introduced the Introduction of Garden Waste Charges in Flintshire report which set out how the proposal would be implemented and provided an estimate for the associated financial benefit to the Council from the proposal. 

            There was no statutory duty on the Council to collect garden waste and given the current period of austerity and the ongoing financial challenges being faced by the Council, it was now necessary to introduce a charge of £30 for the collection of garden waste which would be similar to that which had been introduced by a number of Councils in North Wales and an ever growing number of Councils across England and Wales.  The charge for a second or third bin would also be £30.

            Residents would be notified of the charge by letter and by stickers which would be placed on the garden waste bins in January 2018.  Further communication would be sent out with the Council Tax information in March 2018 and residents would have until 1^st April 2018 to register for the service.  The service would be provided free of charge to all residents in March 2018.  A Project Manager was in place to ensure the smooth introduction of the arrangements, which was at no extra cost to the Council.

            Councillor Thomas referred to a comment from Councillor Peers at the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 20^th November 2017 on the overspend in the service.  She explained this related to unforeseen circumstances such as the increase in electricity charges.  On a question as to whether the service could find further efficiencies instead of introducing this charge, she explained that the service had already had a budget reduction of 40% and no further efficiencies could be found.

            The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) reiterated that this was a discretionary service which the Council was not required to provide.  In 2011 Welsh Government (WG) issued its Waste Collections Blueprint which stated the preferred delivery method for waste collections in Wales, in order to deliver high and sustainable levels of recycling.  Flintshire’s existing waste and recycling collection service in the main aligned with the Blueprint.  However, the Blueprint recommended that this service was to be offered on a chargeable basis.

            He commented on the high standard and number of Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) in the County which would have sufficient capacity to receive garden waste for those residents who did not sign up for the service. 

            At the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, concessions had been discussed.  He explained that this would be complicated to introduce to ensure that it was a fair process; it would be challenging to implement and went against the Council’s new Fees and Charges Policy.  However, the first year of implementation would be to listen and learn.

            The Democratic Services Manager introduced the draft minutes from the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee which outlined the comments from Members on this proposal.  The resolution was “That the comments of the Committee on the arrangements for the introduction of the charging policy for the Garden Waste service, as part of Stage One of the budget proposals for 2018/19, be noted”.

            Councillor Attridge said an email had been received the previous evening from Councillor David Williams suggesting that the second bin could be charged at £15.  In response, Councillor Thomas explained that if a second bin was offered at a reduced rate, this would have an impact on the budget of £27,000 which would result in the charge of the first bin being increased to over £30.  She added that the WG Blueprint encouraged composting.  On a comment on fly tipping, there was no evidence from other Counties that had introduces this charge that fly tipping increased.  The Chief Officer said a number of different options and charges had been considered but they affected the income target and full cost recovery could not be achieved if a second bin was at a reduced price.

            Councillor Bithell commented that the service had been provided to residents for 15 years despite it not being a statutory requirement.  It was not possible in the current financial climate to continue to provide that service free of charge.

            Councillor Shotton said that Cabinet had resisted the implementation of this charge for a number of years but that could not continue.  There was a duty on the Authority to collect general waste but not garden waste and with the reduction in the Single Environment Grant, it was either implement this charge or find £1m from elsewhere.  He commented on the discussion on concessions at Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee for vulnerable people and pensioners and said the only information the Council could access would be those residents entitled to Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS); alternatively residents could be asked to provide information, both of which would be administratively costly with information changing on a regular basis.  The Chief Officer explained that there was approximately 11,000 properties with residents in receipt of CTRS and if the cost was reduced to £20 for them, this would result in a six figure reduction in the target, or alternatively an increase in the £30 cost for all other residents.  Following the listen and learn, this could be reviewed. 

Councillor Shotton asked if Cabinet could be provided with the information on charges, possible concessions and take up rates, including those people in receipt of CTRS who had signed up for the service, after the first year.  The Chief Executive said concessions would be looked at on three principles: (1) was it fair, reasonable and affordable; (2) what alternative service options were available; and (3) was it practicable to implement.  He added that the administrative costs for maintaining data for a non-fixed group of claimants could be high which was why a review after one year was suggested.  On the comment on efficiencies at the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, he explained that the business plans for all portfolios had been reported to all Overview and Scrutiny Committees, adding that Streetscene delivered one of the highest rate at 40%.  There was no further scope for major efficiencies in that service.

RESOLVED:

            (a)       That the charging policy for the Garden Waste Service and the

Arrangements detailed within the report for the smooth introduction of the charge which forms part of Stage One budget proposals for 2018/19 be approved; and

(b)       That a full review of charges, possible concessions and take up rates is undertaken between September and December 2018.