Agenda item

E.44/21            

The Executive considered a report that provided an update on:

-     the actions of the Council to hold its waste and recycling contractor (FCC) to account for the poor performance experienced by some residents over the last six months;

-     the temporary suspension of the Garden Waste collection service and FCC’s actions taken to ensure that it had sufficient staff to deliver all elements of the waste and recycling contract; and

-     the current contractual performance of FCC.

In discussion, the following points were raised:-

(a)   Members’ recognised external factors may be having a detrimental impact on service performance, but lamented service failures that were wholly within the control of FCC, for example repeat missed collections and missed assisted collections. 

Such were the failures and the apparent lack of any improvements, that an additional recommendation was PROPOSED and SECONDED and when put to the vote was declared CARRIED:

‘That Council be RECOMMENDED to RESOLVE that the waste and recycling collection service provided still falls below the standard required to meet the expectations of local residents.  Councillors were given assurance that the service would return to a ‘steady state’ by mid-July.  In the Council’s view, this is not the case.  We appreciate the efforts of officers and FCC to try and rectify the situation.  However, if a solution cannot be found to deliver the ‘super recycling’ service as specified at the Full Council meeting on 6 December 2018 by the end of 2021 the Council will be forced to consider exercising any available contractual rights in order to ensure that, going forwards, arrangements are in place which are capable of delivering a waste and recycling collection service that is fit for the 21^st Century.’

(b)   On behalf of the Council, Members and officers wished to put on record their unreserved apologies for the poor service that was being experienced by residents.  In so doing, Members and officers emphasised their commitment to rectifying the current problems;

(c)   When reflecting on the extent of the problems that were being incurred, the lead Executive Member confirmed his belief that the round review exercise carried out by FCC had been a significant contributory factor;

(d)   With regard to the initial suspension of the garden waste collection service, FCC had confirmed that there was insufficient time to delay the decision to enable for correspondence to be sent to all residents. 

In the event of the service being suspended for a further period, some Members made the point that there were willing town and parish councils who could be utilised to support (and police) a green waste collection service.  As a consequence, officers were asked to consider the feasibility of such alternative means of collecting green waste.  In addition, a Member highlighted that there was plentiful desire amongst residents for home and/or community composting schemes and steps should therefore be taken to exploit this wish;

(e)   In the event of a residents’ waste not being collected, a Member questioned whether they would be eligible for a Council Tax discount or refund.  In reply, the Section 151 Officer advised that the Council was unable to offer a discount as there was nothing within Council Tax legislation that would allow for a refund to be made.  This was due to Council Tax being a form of general taxation where the cost of public services was spread across all Taxpayers in the same way.  Furthermore, Council Tax was not a charge for services provided and therefore was not a service charge.  In reply to a further question, the Section 151 Officer confirmed that the amount of Council Tax that was paying for the waste and cleansing services in the South Hams amounted to approximately £1 per week per household.  Finally, Members noted that this information was also set out for residents on the Council website as part of the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section;

(f)     Some Members could not see any justification for the disparity in service delivery that was being witnessed between the Council and West Devon Borough Council and proceeded to question why best practice was not being shared;

(g)   In respect of the reporting functionality on the Council website, it was felt that some minor revisions would not only improve the efficiency of the customer experience but would also reduce the involvement of Members having to continually contact officers;

(h)   Members highlighted the weekly performance meetings with FCC representatives and stated their ongoing frustrations that the contractor was seemingly unable to both communicate effectively in advance and deliver on their promises;

(i)     The lead Executive Member was thanked for his tireless efforts in such challenging circumstances.  In reply, the Member thanked his Executive colleagues for their unwavering support and also wished to put on record his thanks to the Head of Practice – Commissioning and Contracts and wished her well for her imminent retirement.

It was then:

rESOLVED

1.      That the actions taken to ensure that the Council meets its statutory service requirements with regard to waste and recycling be noted;

2.      That the temporary suspension of the Garden Waste service be extended pending a further review at the next meeting of the Executive to be held on 14 October 2021;

3.      That the Executive continue to hold FCC to account in relation to its performance and continue to monitor FCC’s resources and recruitment to ensure that the non-statutory garden waste collection service can resume as soon as is practically possible;

4.      That all available options, including those options available under the contract, be considered to improve the performance of the waste and recycling service; and