Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from Members to determine the quorum of the meeting in accordance with Rule 7 of Part 4 of the Constitution.

An apology for absence was received from Councillors J Kaufman and K J Loydall.

To appoint substitute Members in accordance with Rule 26 of Part 4 of the Constitution and the Substitution Procedure Rules.

Councillor J K Chohan substituted for Councillor J Kaufman.

Members are reminded that any declaration of interest should be made having regard to the Members’ Code of Conduct. In particular, Members must make clear the nature of the interest and whether it is 'pecuniary' or ‘non-pecuniary'.

None.

Report of the Corporate Project, Systems and IT Manager

The Committee gave consideration to the report and appendices (as set out pages 3 – 21 of the agenda reports pack and 2 – 5 of the agenda update pack), which provided information on the waste service transformation and asked it to approve the Household Waste and Recycling Kerbside Collection Policy.

Due to the unavailability of live streaming equipment at the venue a more detailed minute of this agenda item was taken as featured below.

Members queried where the 30% up-take figure for purchasing large bins had come from, whether the excess bank holiday pay was included in the budget and under what circumstances excess waste such as cardboard would be collected. Officers advised the 30% up-take figure is an estimate based on figures provided by other local authorities that have similar schemes, that the excess bank holiday pay was included in the budget, and that the excess waste should be secured by the bins, either under the wheels or in between two bins so as to avoid rubbish being blown away.

Queries were also raised regarding proper emptying of bins, rather than just lifting out waste, whether the ‘task and finish’ work model would continue and ambiguous wording in the policy. Officers advised they were aware of some reported instances of incomplete collections and confirmed that only mechanical emptying of bins was allowed and this would be emphasised to Refuse Collectors. Officers also confirmed that spot-checking would be conducted and should any instances of incorrect refuse collection continue then this would result in disciplinary action. Officers also advised that the ‘task and finish’ work model would be continued and that the wording in the policy was designed to be as flexible as possible.

Members questioned the means-testing for providing free bins, whether the current fleet of refuse collection vehicles were compatible with larger bins, how an ‘overweight’ bin is determined and how the Council would defend itself from a legal challenge over non-collection of waste when it is a statutory duty. Officers advised the policy is designed to cover as many people in hardship as possible, so would not just apply to people receiving means tested welfare payments, but also to other vulnerable groups such as pensioners and couples on minimum wage etc. Officers also confirmed that the current fleet of refuse lorries are compatible with the larger bins and advised that a bin is considered to be ‘overweight’ when the mechanical lift on the lorry cannot lift the bin.

Regarding the legal defence query, Officers advised that the Council would be able to defend itself based around the assumption that the person is not fully utilising their separate recycling bin and because the Council is not refusing to collect the waste, they are only refusing to collect it all in one go, the additional waste would be collected at the next collection visit.

Members and Officers discussed the creation of a working group or appeals panel to handle appeals on the determination of applications for waived fees for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.