Issue - meetings

To provide Members with an update on the garden waste collection trial and make recommendations for the future of the service.

(Report and referral report from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee attached)

RECOMMENDED that

1)                 subject to a publicity and consultation exercise to seek customer response on likely take up and viability of the scheme before rolling out the service further; and further report back to the Committee in due course,

Option D, as detailed at Paragraph 5.4 of the report, be the preferred option for the future of the garden waste collection service, namely:

‘Stop trial in East and increase West trial to cover 10,000 properties (figures based on 10% take up)’ ; and

RESOLVED that

2)                 Members note the outcomes of the trial garden waste collection service to date, as detailed in the report.

(Members received a supplementary report which detailed the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s view that the service should not proceed further.

Executive Committee Members did not support this view but did amend Officers’ original recommendations, as now detailed above.

The Committee indicated that, if take up was likely to be less than 10%, the service would not be sustainable; but if more than 10% could be achieved, options should be considered for a wider roll-out to areas which might benefit from the service.

It was agreed that the issue of further capital investment in equipment / bins etc. should therefore await further Committee decision. Similarly, in view of Members’ revised recommendations, the possibility of sharing such a service with Bromsgrove DC would now also be considered as part of a further report.)

Members considered a report which detailed the outcomes to date of the current trial garden waste collection service, together with recommendations for future delivery of the service.

Members also received a supplementary report which detailed the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s view that the service should not proceed further. The Executive Committee did not support this view, but did amend Officers’ original recommendations, as detailed below.

The key issue for the Committee was that the service should be self-supporting, and that Officers therefore needed to promote and consult on the service, before any further roll out, to be certain that any investment would be repaid. It was important that non users should not fund services available in only parts of the Borough.

The Committee indicated that, if take up was likely to be less than 10%, the service would not be sustainable; but if more than 10% could be achieved, options should be considered for a wider roll-out to areas which might benefit from the service.

It was agreed that the issue of further capital investment in equipment / bins etc. should therefore await further Committee decision. Similarly, in view of Members’ revised recommendations, the possibility of sharing such a service with Bromsgrove DC would now also be considered as part of a further report.

RECOMMENDED that

1)                 subject to a publicity and consultation exercise to seek customer response on likely take up and viability of the scheme before rolling out the service further; and further report back to the Committee in due course,

Option D, as detailed at Paragraph 5.4 of the report, be the preferred option for the future of the garden waste collection service, namely:

‘Stop trial in East and increase West trial to cover 10,000 properties (figures based on 10% take up)’ ; and

RESOLVED that

2)                 Members note the outcomes of the trial garden waste collection service to date, as detailed in the report.