Minutes:
OWBC is, like most other Councils, struggling for finances.
As of last week there were 50 families in temporary accommodation that will cost the council the best part of £100,000 which has not been budgeted for. This is a statutory requirement of the Council to provide temporary accommodation. If the temperature drops below freezing for a certain number of days the Council is also obligated to provide temporary accommodation to the homeless.
If the Council cannot issue a balance budget a Section 114 notice will be issued such as in Birmingham. If this happens a Government inspector will take control of the Council which the Council is also billed for.
To avoid this the Council has made a number of decisions to provide a balanced budget.
The Government is introducing mandatory food waste collections as a separate waste collection; this was to be funded by the Government but now the Council is expected to fund this and the required vehicle. The collection of soft furnishings also now comes with an additional cost to the Council due to POPS, and as they cannot be stored in the dedicated vehicle overnight there are additional costs involved. The food waste will be collected in caddies which is similar to a scheme that previously ran in the Borough but was stopped due to costs; this will be a statutory requirement of the Council to provide the service regardless of uptake from residents.
Collected food waste will be utilised as part of biogas generation for electricity generation.
The Council is having to reduce the number of officers it employs and is hoping to do so through voluntary redundancies.
Car Parking charges will also be increasing and waste collections are likely to go to a fortnightly basis. The charge for green waste collections will also be increased. OWBC does not profit from the garden waste collections but LCC may do as the disposal agency who compost the waste.
Changes to national recycling guidance may see the current contract for the Borough where OWBC collect, LCC act as the disposal agency, and CasePak as the contractor change. This could result in additional charges in respect of fuel etc. for the Council’s wagons as they may have to travel further to unload the collected waste.
The Council is also required by central government to reduce its carbon footprint which the Council must also fund.
The Council is trying to pre-empt the decisions a Government Inspector would do should a section 114 notice be issued and trying to provide a balanced budget through the least impactful options.
A resident questioned if the recycling collections could be made fortnightly but black bin collections remain weekly as this has taken place in other areas. The Council’s approach has not been finalised as yet with the change to take place in September 2024. The Council has to account for the additional houses built in the Borough and the requirement of bigger bins for some houses in the Borough; there is a concern that should bins be full and residents place black bags of extra waste next to them this could see an increase in litter and pests. Special arrangements may be made for larger families as part of the options the Council are considering.