Agenda item

(a)  That charges for provision of new and replacement wheeled bins and other containers set out in paragraph 2.3 of the report be agreed to come into effect on 1 November 2022.

(b)  That the charges for acceptance of certain items of waste for disposal at our Chalvey Household Waste & Recycling Centre set out in paragraph 2.6 of the report be agreed to come into effect on 1 November 2022.

(c)  That it be agreed to reduce the frequency of general waste collection (grey wheeled bin) for the majority of residents from weekly to fortnightly from Monday 26 June 2023 with food waste to remain within the grey wheeled bin as part of general waste, rather than being collected separately, pending a review of options to separately collect food waste.

(d)  That it be agreed to reduce the frequency of recycling collection (red wheeled bin) for the majority of residents from weekly to fortnightly from Monday 26 June 2023.

(e)  That the waste collection & disposal policies be agreed as set out in Appendix 4 – Frequently Asked Questions which would become the published response on the SBC website.

(f)  That the comments of the Place Scrutiny Panel be noted.

The Lead Members for Transport & The Local Environment and for Financial Oversight & Council Assets introduced a report that proposed making a number of changes to the Council’s waste collection arrangements and disposal charges.

The provisions of the Environment Act 2021 were noted as was the commitment in the Council’s Improvement & Recovery Plan to bring forward a recycling plan and make financial savings.  The recommendations included moving to fortnightly waste collections for street level properties and some flats from June 2023 to be supported by communications activity; charges for new and replacement wheeled bins; and the introduction of charges for disposal of certain items at Chalvey Household Waste & Recycling Centre.

The rationale for the proposals was summarised with the Council required to deliver waste services in both an environmentally and financially sustainable way.  The vast majority of other local authorities had already moved to fortnightly collections and evidence showed there to be an increase in recycling rates following such a move.  It was anticipated that the proposals would deliver savings of £705,000 a year, noting there would be some startup costs in the first year.  Food waste would remain within the grey wheeled bin pending a review of options to separately collect food waste in the future.

The Place Scrutiny Panel had considered the proposals at its meeting held on 20^th September and the comments of the panel were tabled and noted.  In summary, the Panel had supported the move to fortnightly collections in principle but did not support the proposed introduction of charges for new and replacement bins.  The Cabinet noted the comments and it was stated that where the Council was responsible for a damaged or lost bin it would replace it without charge.  The Lead Member was asked to give further consideration to the arrangements for waiving charges to pensioners and people on low incomes with a view to refining these policies before the final decisions on the financial savings were taken when setting the Budget in March 2023.  The Panel had also requested that the proposed charges for the disposal of items at the Chalvey HWRC be reviewed to ensure they were sufficiently clear to residents about the charges for items.  It was responded that the charges mirrored those of Buckinghamshire County Council to ensure a consistent approach.

Councillors Muvvala, Strutton and Smith addressed the Cabinet and raised a number of concerns and comments about the proposal including the potential increase in fly-tipping; lack of consultation; reduction in service; the qualifying criteria for the retention of weekly collections; and several other operational matters regarding the implementation of the proposals.  Lead Members and Officers responded to each of the comments in detail and amongst other matters noted that there had been consultation in the booklet sent to every household in Slough last year and that there was no evidence of an increase in fly-tipping from authorities that had moved to fortnightly collections.

After a lengthy discussion, the Cabinet approved the recommendations, noted the comments of scrutiny and agreed the detail of the benefit criteria for those who would qualify for a free new or replacement bin would be reviewed prior to final implementation of the policy.

Resolved –

(a)  That charges for provision of new and replacement wheeled bins and other containers set out in paragraph 2.3 of the report be agreed to come into effect on 1 November 2022.

(b)  That the charges for acceptance of certain items of waste for disposal at our Chalvey Household Waste & Recycling Centre set out in paragraph 2.6 of the report be agreed to come into effect on 1 November 2022.

(c)  That it be agreed to reduce the frequency of general waste collection (grey wheeled bin) for the majority of residents from weekly to fortnightly from Monday 26 June 2023 with food waste to remain within the grey wheeled bin as part of general waste, rather than being collected separately, pending a review of options to separately collect food waste.

(d)  That it be agreed to reduce the frequency of recycling collection (red wheeled bin) for the majority of residents from weekly to fortnightly from Monday 26 June 2023.

(e)  That the waste collection & disposal policies be agreed as set out in Appendix 4 – Frequently Asked Questions which would become the published response on the SBC website.

(f)  That the comments of the Place Scrutiny Panel be noted.