Agenda item

Recommendations of the Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury Overview and Scrutiny Committees: 7 and 8 November 2018: Garden Waste Collection Service Review 2018 (Report No: EXC/SA/18/016)

Report No: EXC/SA/18/016

Shadow Executive (Cabinet) Members: David Bowman and Peter Stevens

Chairmen of the Committees: FHDC Cllr Simon Cole and SEBC Cllr Diane Hind

Lead Officers: Mark Walsh and Mark Christie

 

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That the recommendations, as set out in Section 4 of the Garden Waste Collection Service Joint Task and Finish Group Report, Report Nos OAS/SE/18/031 and OAS/FH/18/032, be approved.

Namely:

 

1

Increase the current subscription charge from £40 to £43 for 2019-2020. This included:

·         The subscription charge to be reviewed annually;

·         To be agreed with Portfolio Holders as part of budget setting and the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee or the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review the fee annually; and

·         The GWCS budget is to be financially self-supporting.

 

2

The Group felt that there were not enough advantages to support the motion from Councillor David Nettleton to SEBC Council on 19 December 2017 and there would be a number of marketing and operational issues incurred.  The Group also did not favour supporting a discounted charging scheme.

 

3

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

5

To depart from the singular bin collection day approach for the GWCS to unlock collection capacity.

 

Move towards a rolling subscription model by April 2020, to be linked to the Digital Strategy, Customer Access Strategy and marketing approaches.

·         Approach to be fully automated.

·         Cost to be within the budget of the GWCS.

As part of the next subscription process:

·         Find out key reasons why households are not signing up;

·         Run a marketing campaign aimed at rounds where take-up is low but garden space is large;

·         Further promote bin sharing;

·         Investigate an incentivisation scheme to encourage sign up direct debit (part of a corporate approach); and

·         To understand the remaining potential in the households not currently subscribing to the GWCS.

 

6

To retain the current service branding.

 

7

Run a marketing campaign trial to change non subscriber behaviours.

·         Identify bin collection rounds with the highest amount of garden waste in the residual waste bins.

 

8

 

To undertake collection round modelling to reflect future changes prior to the move to the WSOH.

 

9

To continue to promote take-up and migration to direct debit.

 

10

Review at a later date the “ban” option after all marketing options had been carried out, with a caveat on what goes in the black bin.

 

11

Through colleagues in the Customer Services team, seek to create a new section on the website for residents who are new to the area.

 

12

Work with ARP and encourage them to refer customers to the council’s GWCS.

 

13

To scope work with ARP and any other partners to introduce a new homes pack for house moves.

 

 

Minutes:

The Shadow Executive (Cabinet) considered the above report, which sought approval for recommendations of the Forest Heath District Council (FHDC) and St Edmundsbury Borough Council (SEBC) Overview and Scrutiny Committees’ appointed Garden Waste Collection Service Joint Task and Finish Group.

 

On 6 and 7 June 2018, both SEBC and FHDC Overview and Scrutiny Committees resolved to establish a joint task and finish group to carry out a joint review of the Garden Waste Collection Service and to make recommendations for the service moving forward from April 2019.

 

The Joint Task and Finish Group met on five occasions and undertook a thorough review of specific areas, as summarised in paragraphs 1.4 and 1.5 of the report, which culminated in a raft of recommendations, as reproduced in paragraph 1.6.

 

Councillor David Bowman, one of the Shadow Executive (Cabinet) Members with the responsibility for Operations, drew relevant issues to the attention of the Shadow Executive, including expressing his thanks to officers, the Joint Task and Finish Group for the comprehensive review and to the Overview and Scrutiny Committees’ consideration of the Group’s recommendations before presenting them to the Shadow Executive.

 

Councillor Peter Stevens, the other Shadow Executive (Cabinet) Member with the responsibility for Operations, added that he would urge Members to support the proposed increase in subscription charge from £40 to £43 for 2019/2020, which would be reviewed annually and would compare favourably with other Suffolk authorities’ subscription charges. 

 

The Chairmen of the FHDC and SEBC Overview and Scrutiny Committees also spoke in support of the review and commended the diligence of the Joint Task and Finish Group.  It was highlighted that the review had identified that the Garden Waste Collection Service had been successful since the introduction of the scheme in April 2016.

 

A discussion was then held on the promotion and sale of compostable material.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the recommendations, as set out in Section 4 of the Garden Waste Collection Service Joint Task and Finish Group Report, Report Nos OAS/SE/18/031 and OAS/FH/18/032, be approved.

Namely:

 

1

Increase the current subscription charge from £40 to £43 for 2019-2020. This included:

·         The subscription charge to be reviewed annually;

·         To be agreed with Portfolio Holders as part of budget setting and the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee  the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review the fee annually; and

·         The GWCS budget is to be financially self-supporting.

 

2

The Group felt that there were not enough advantages to support the motion from Councillor David Nettleton to SEBC Council on 19 December 2017 and there would be a number of marketing and operational issues incurred.  The Group also did not favour supporting a discounted charging scheme.

 

3

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

5

To depart from the singular bin collection day approach for the GWCS to unlock collection capacity.

 

Move towards a rolling subscription model by April 2020, to be linked to the Digital Strategy, Customer Access Strategy and marketing approaches.

·         Approach to be fully automated.

·         Cost to be within the budget of the GWCS.

As part of the next subscription process:

·         Find out key reasons why households are not signing up;

·         Run a marketing campaign aimed at rounds where take-up is low but garden space is large;

·         Further promote bin sharing;

·         Investigate an incentivisation scheme to encourage sign up direct debit (part of a corporate approach); and

·         To understand the remaining potential in the households not currently subscribing to the GWCS.

 

6

To retain the current service branding.

 

7

Run a marketing campaign trial to change non subscriber behaviours.

·         Identify bin collection rounds with the highest amount of garden waste in the residual waste bins.

 

8

 

To undertake collection round modelling to reflect future changes prior to the move to the WSOH.

 

9

To continue to promote take-up and migration to direct debit.

 

10

Review at a later date the “ban” option after all marketing options had been carried out, with a caveat on what goes in the black bin.

 

11

Through colleagues in the Customer Services team, seek to create a new section on the website for residents who are new to the area.

 

12

Work with ARP and encourage them to refer customers to the council’s GWCS.

 

13

To scope work with ARP and any other partners to introduce a new homes pack for house moves.

 

 

Supporting documents: