Christmas and New Year Refuse Collection for 2013/14 PDF 64 KB

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Public report

Cabinet Member Report

A separate report is submitted in the private part of the agenda in respect of this item as it contains

information required to be kept private in accordance with Schedule 12A of the Local Government

Act 1972 as amended. The grounds for privacy are that it contains details likely to reveal the

identity of an individual and contains legally privileged information.

Cabinet Member (Public Services) 21 st October 2013

Name of Cabinet Member:

Cabinet Member (Public Services) – Councillor Lancaster

Director Approving Submission of the report:

Executive Director, Place

Ward(s) affected:

All

Title:

Christmas and New Year refuse collection for 2013/14

Is this a key decision?

No

Executive Summary:

Historically refuse and recycling collections are suspended in the period between Christmas and

New Year.

It is proposed to follow a similar pattern of collections for the forthcoming Christmas and New

Year period. This report provides the details of the resources required to make collections, the

proposed communications with the public, and how these compare to previous years.

The collection regime for 2013/14 can be summerised as follows:

• Week commencing 16 th December 2013 – normal refuse collections along with every

property receiving a recycling collection.

• Week commencing 23 rd December 2013 – no collections

• Week commencing 30 th December 2013 – residual waste collections only (collection dates:

Tuesday 31 st Decembmer 2013, and Thursday 2 nd January to Saturday 4 th January 2014).

• Week commencing 6 th January 2014 – normal refuse collections along with every property

receiving a recycling collection.

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Recommendations:

That the Cabinet Member (Public Services) is recommended to:-

1. Approve the proposals contained within section 2 of this report for the collection of refuse

and recycling over the Christmas and New Year period.

2. Note and approve the use of additional resource as necessary to ensure that this years

collections are completed.

List of Appendices included:

None

Other useful background papers:

None

Has it been or will it be considered by Scrutiny?

No

Has it been or will it be considered by any other Council Committee, Advisory Panel or

other body?

No

Will this report go to Council?

No

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Report title: Christmas and New Year refuse collection for 2013/14

1. Background

Historically Coventry City Council has suspended refuse collection services between Christmas

and New Year. Negotiations for this year commenced in mid May, with the Unions starting from

the premise that a similar agreement would be in place this year.

To facilitate the suspension of service between Christmas and New Year staff utilise part of their

Annual Leave entitlement.

As with previous years the changes to service delivery will be communicated to Coventry

residents using a variety of media, including:

• Year-long collection card delivered to every home in the city – this will include

details of brown and blue lid bin collections as well as detail for the clear up after

Christmas week

• Individual day sticker delivered to every home – detailing just the post collection

Christmas collection arrangements

• Reminder tweets the week before Christmas and in the week of collections after

the holiday period

• Link to collection information on the front page of the website in the run up to

Christmas

• Collection detail in citivision

• Information in Members bulletin

• Update to all neighbourhood forum link officers for briefing at meetings

• Beacon updates for staff

• Press release – detailing the arrangements pre and post-Christmas.

2. Options considered and recommended proposal

Alternative options, including not suspending collections over the Christmas period have been

considered and discounted as the bank holidays (Christmas Day and Boxing Day) fall on two

normal collection days.

Therefore, the following option for waste and recycling collections over the Christmas and New

Year period are proposed.

Week Commencing 16 th December 2013

Refuse collection and recycling weeks A and B – this work will be supported by 8 additional

Recycling crews to undertake the additional recycyling collection.

Week Commencing 23 rd December 2013

No refuse or recycling collection services – all workforce will take 2 days from their annual leave

entitlement to facilitate the weeks shut down.

Week Commencing 30 th December 2013

Refuse collection only, with in house support to ensure that two crews support each round. All

refuse is programmed to be cleared by Saturday 4 th January 2014. Collections would take place

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on 31 st December 2013 and 2 nd ,3 rd and 4 th January 2014. Additional resource from the existing

casual pool and agency staff will be procured to support collections as and when required.

Week Commencing 6 th January 2014

Normal refuse collection service as well as recycling weeks A and B – this work will be supported

by 8 additional Recycling Crews to undertake the additional recycling collection.

Week Commencing 13 th January 2014

Normal collection schedule resumes.

To facilitate the above programme, in previous years the following agreement have been made:-

• All drivers and operatives attending work in the first week after Christmas are paid a

payment of £25 per day provided that the task for that day is completed i.e. all refuse is

collected. It is considered that this payment is no longer appropriate and it is not proposed

to make this payment in 2013/14. The implications of this decision are covered in the

supporting private report.

3. Results of Benchmarking

Benchmarking has been undertaken with Nuneaton and Bedworth, North Warwickshire and

Warwick Councils. Each of these authorities operates a fortnightly collection service for domestic

waste. They all have to operate a service between Xmas and New Year to maintain an adequate

level of service provision.

4. Timetable for implementing this decision

The proposed plan will be implemented from the 1 st December 2013 until the week commencing

the 13 th January 2014.

5 Comments from Director of Finance and Legal Services

5.1 Financial implications

There are no specific financial implications arising from the proposals to suspend the

refuse and recycling collections between Christmas and New Year outside the budgetary

planning of the Place Directorate. The financial implications relating to the arrangements

for previous years (referred to at paragraph 2, last bullet) are set out in the private report

relating to this agenda item.

5.2 Legal implications

There are no specific legal implications arising from the proposals to suspend the refuse

and recycling collections between Christmas and New Year. The legal implications relating

to the arrangements for previous years (referred to at paragraph 2, last bullet) are set out in

the private report relating to this agenda item.

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6. Other implications

None

6.1 How will this contribute to achievement of the Council's key objectives / corporate

priorities (corporate plan/scorecard) / organisational blueprint / Local Area

Agreement (or Coventry Sustainable Community Strategy)?

The proposal supports the key objectives of the City Council towork for better street

environment.

6.2 How is risk being managed?

Risk will be managed in accordance with the City Council’s risk management process.

6.3 What is the impact on the organisation?

If bin collections are not successfully made over the Christmas and New Year period there

is a considerable reputational risk to the City Council. These proposal seek to mitigate that

risk.

6.2 Equalities / EIA

No equality impact assessment has been carried out as the recommendations do not

constitute a change in service.

6.5 Implications for (or impact on) the environment

These proposals have no implications for the environment.

6.6 Implications for partner organisations?

Partner organisations, including disposal and recycling contractors have been briefed on

the proposals for Christmas and New Year. Implications for partner organisations include:

• Increased storage capacity needed for recyclable waste.

• Reduced throughput at the Energy from Waste plant as capacity is held for the post

Christmas increase in waste from Coventry.

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Report author(s):

Name and job title: Andrew Walster, Assitant Director for Streetscene and Greenspace

Directorate: Place

Tel and email contact: 024 7683 2621, andrew.walster@coventry.gov.uk

Enquiries should be directed to the above person.

Contributor/approver

name

Contributors:

Sarah Elliot

Anthony Campbell

Communications: Julie

Fairbrother

Names of approvers for

submission: (officers and

members)

Legal:

Helen Lynch

Finance:

Paul Jennings

Director: Martin Yardley

Members: Councillor Rachel

Lancaster

Title

Head of Fleet

and Waste

Management

Waste and

Recycling

Manager

Communication

Officer

Corporate

Governance and

Litigation

Manager

Finance

Manager

Executive

Director, Place

Cabinet Member

(Public Services)

Directorate

or

organisatio

n

Date doc sent

out

Date response

received or

approved

Place 7 th October 2013 8 th October 2013

Place 7 th October 2013 9 th October 2013

Chief

Executives

7 th October 2013 11 th October

2013

Resource 10 th October 2013 11 th October

2013

Resource 11 th October 2013 11 th October

2013

Place 11 th October 2013 11 th October

2013

11 th October 2013 11 th October

2013

This report is published on the council's website:

www.coventry.gov.uk/meetings

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