O&S.22/21
At
the invitation of the Chairman, the Committee was addressed by two
representatives of the Council’s waste and recycling
contractor, FCC Environment (FCC).
Following questions from Members, the
following points were made by FCC:
·
Nationally there was a shortage of about 100,000 HGV
drivers, with many Councils suffering similar shortages in refuse
truck drivers. This shortage was seen
as a direct consequence of Brexit and the Covid-19
pandemic. Vacancies were up 30% in this
quarter and up 140% compared to this time last year.
·
In response to the shortages, FCC stated that they
had increased the basic rate of pay three times since the contract
had started and rates were now equitable to other Local Authorities
in the area. FCC were funding LGV
training for anyone requesting this along with funding
apprenticeships. They were offering a
bonus to anyone who introduced a new worker, and using agencies for
recruitment. Agency workers were made
permanent as soon as possible, with part time work available for
those who wished it. Overtime was
offered at the weekend but was not compulsory. A driver recruitment campaign had been started
with a cycle to work scheme, medical advice free of charge, pension
scheme, 28 days annual leave, death in service scheme, and the
depot crew rooms had been improved, including the addition of free
coffee vending machines. These changes
had improved figures for driver retention but it was still
challenging recruiting new drivers.
·
It was confirmed that FCC currently had 55 drivers
and 98 loaders, with vacancies for eight LGV drivers, seven 7.5ton
drivers, and 18 loaders.
·
FCC were advised that the recruitment advert for the
South Hams area was not accessible on their website. One of the representatives confirmed that they had
found this out and were working to resolve this.
·
When questioned, FCC were unable to guarantee when
their vacancies would be filled.
·
FCC had promised to produce an implementation plan
at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on
10th June which had still not been delivered (Minute
O&S.3/21 refers). FCC stated that
they were still working on this as it was a complex situation and
had required greater analysis of the data, however, this task was
nearing completion.
·
FCC confirmed that, although their website stated
that they worked for 60 Local Authorities, they only did
collections for 12.
·
Following questions from Members regarding the brown
bin collection, it was confirmed that the Executive would be asked
to extend the current suspension of this service at its meeting to
be held on 14 October 2021. FCC stated
that they would soon know of the trigger levels for the brown bin
service.
·
One Member noted that the street and public
convenience cleaning staff were doing a good job and their
supervisors were also working hard.
However, it was noted that it was not working as well in all areas
of the District. FCC confirmed that pay
rates for these workers had also been reviewed and increased
recently.
·
Members confirmed that bin collections were still
being missed with a whole village missed earlier this
week. South Hams District Council were
told by FCC that there were no bins placed outside of properties
but residents had told the Member that the bins had been out for
six weeks. FCC representatives asked
for specific details and this instance would be investigated
outside of this meeting.
·
It was confirmed that two Council officers were
still working on behalf of FCC, collecting missed bins, whilst
several senior Council Officers were involved with daily meetings
with FCC to discuss any operational issues from the day before or
for that particular day. The Executive was also still meeting
weekly with FCC to try to iron out issues and to receive weekly
progress reports.
·
FCC confirmed that members of its management team
had been out with the crews and that each crew was debriefed when
they returned to the depot.
The
Chairman thanked the representatives of FCC for attending the
meeting.