That this Council: 1) recognises the overwhelming public concern regarding the new waste management and recycling scheme and 2) refers the operation of the waste contract to Scrutiny for consideration and reporting to Cabinet.
Minutes:
Overwhelming public concern regarding the new waste management and recycling scheme and the operation of the waste contract to be referred to Scrutiny for consideration.
Councillor Alex Williams put forward the following motion and sought Council’s support:
Councillor Alex Williams presented the Notice of Motion. A 3000 signature petition had been delivered to Council demonstrating the strength of feeling and Members of the Public were in attendance. He thanked officers for the workshop regarding the new waste contract and accepted that it was unreasonable to reverse the contract. However, a scrutiny committee could be charged with investigating the new system and making recommendations. In order to reach targets it was important to keep up momentum and encourage more socially responsible behaviour rather than penalising residents. A petition had been delivered, concerns had been raised and social media required the authority to act. The vast majority of residents were keen to do their bit.
He raised a number of issues including the bin lorry refusing to collect from certain lanes, the lack of privacy for residents using incontinence bags, 2 bags not being enough for some families and no allowance for pets. Concerns were raised on how it would be policed, poor planning and project management.
The Deputy Leader welcomed the motion and accepted that there was significant rather than overwhelming public concern with many residents just getting on with it.
A member thanked officers for the training and recognised that the contract had been signed so they would need to work within the framework and there could be financial implications. The member requested that exempt minutes from previous scrutiny meetings where this had been considered, be released to inform future discussion regarding the new scheme. The member also suggested that the contract for enforcement should be put on hold until scrutiny had had the opportunity to review arrangements.
The Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration explained that they could not insist on the contract being put on hold. He thanked the officers who recently visited an over 50’s complex to talk about the new arrangements. The audience congratulated the officers on the way it was explained and were already using colour coded bins and the system was working well. He disputed the term “overwhelming” but accepted that social media was being used to “sound off”. A cultural change was needed in Wales to achieve the levels of recycling achieved in other countries such as Germany. A Scrutiny Committee would review the scheme and the meetings would be open to the public.
A Member referred to a discussion with a distressed resident and her concerns regarding the disposal of cat litter. These concerns did need to be addressed and improvements made. The member had researched the information available and claimed there was no correlation between recycling figures and restricting the number of black bags collected. Education and engagement were more successful when encouraging residents to engage in the new scheme.
A member referred to scrutiny in Bridgend and that it was robust, holding Cabinet Members and officers to account. A Scrutiny Committee should look at the scheme when there was something to evaluate and not as a knee jerk reaction. He suggested it should be a priority on the forward work programme.
A member referred to the fact that this would impact on every household in Bridgend. Residents were frustrated because they faced severe disruption during the “bedding in” and their concerns were not being dealt with. By referring to scrutiny at this stage the main thrust of the contract could be controlled. He whole heartedly accepted the need to recycle but change was a problem for residents.
A member welcomed the briefing that morning. Residents were not opposed to recycling but the next few months would be painful. The disruption had started already and calls had been received from distressed residents. More thought was required.
A Member said that he was pleased that scrutiny papers were in the public domain and supported the release of other documents. The contract should be open to discussion if members wanted to consider it.
The Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration explained that he was reacting to the assumption that individuals were entitled to be involved in discussions relating to the contract rather that the Council acting as a whole.
A member stated that there was a fundamental issue with privacy and basic human rights when it came to the use of purple bags. She was aware of an overwhelming reaction against the use of these bags.
The Cabinet Member for Social Services and Early Help explained that concerns regarding this issue had been noted and dealt with. It was a large contract and there would be hiccups as there had been in other authorities when they had implemented similar schemes. It was important to work together in a professional manner.
The Cabinet Member for Communities stated that to scrutinise at this stage would not be helpful to take the process forward but if a sufficient time period was allowed for the new system to be implemented any scrutiny would then be better informed and more meaningful.
Members considered the motion and voted in favour.
RESOLVED: That this Council: 1) recognised the overwhelming public concern regarding the new waste management and recycling scheme and 2) referred the operation of the waste contract to Scrutiny for consideration and reporting to Cabinet