Councillor R A Bird will propose and Councillor Mrs K J Berry will second that:

Customer Focused Service is one of the highest priorities for Tewkesbury Borough Council, and the Council Plan sets out our objectives to achieve this commitment. ‘Puts Customers First’ is one of our Council Values.

Tewkesbury Borough Council’s current waste collection service is the best in Gloucestershire in meeting the demands of residents, and achieves our Customer Service ethos.

Tewkesbury Borough Council is committed to maintaining the existing minimum service standard of:

1)    bi-weekly residual waste (Green Bin) collections, to ensure that our customers receive an effective, hygienic rate of waste removal;

2)    current large capacity residual waste bins (our existing standard), to ensure that customers are not in danger of having insufficient storage capacity, particularly where they might miss a collection; and

3)    co-mingled recycling (Blue Bin) collections, the simplest recycling service currently available, and an effective encouragement to recycling.

We welcome the attempts of the Joint Waste Committee to seek efficiencies in waste management across Gloucestershire through standardisation, providing these do not reduce in any way the minimum customer service standards listed above, which would be contrary to our Customer Service ethos and our Council Plan.

104.1         The Worshipful the Mayor referred to the Notice of Motion set out on the Agenda and indicated that, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, it was necessary for the Council firstly to decide whether it wished to debate and determine the Motion at the evening’s meeting, or whether it wished to refer the Motion, without debate, to a Committee for consideration with authority either to make a decision on the matter or to bring a recommendation back to Council. Upon being put to the vote it was agreed that the Motion would be determined at the current meeting.

104.2         Councillor R A Bird proposed and Councillor Mrs K J Berry seconded that:

                  ‘Customer focused service is one of the highest priorities for Tewkesbury Borough Council, and the Council Plan sets out our objectives to achieve this commitment. ‘Puts Customers First’ is one of our Council values.

                  Tewkesbury Borough Council’s current waste collection service is the best in Gloucestershire in meeting the demands of residents, and achieves our customer service ethos.

                  Tewkesbury Borough Council is committed to maintaining the existing minimum service standard of:

1)    bi-weekly residual waste (green bin) collections, to ensure that our customers receive an effective, hygienic rate of waste removal;

2)    current large capacity residual waste bins (our existing standard), to ensure that customers are not in danger of having insufficient storage capacity, particularly where they might miss a collection; and

3)    co-mingled recycling (blue bin) collections, the simplest recycling service currently available, and an effective encouragement to recycling.

We welcome the attempts of the Joint Waste Committee to seek efficiencies in waste management across Gloucestershire through standardisation, providing these do not reduce in any way the minimum customer service standards listed above, which would be contrary to our customer service ethos and our Council Plan’.

104.3         In speaking to the Motion, Councillor Bird indicated that the Motion was meant to be a statement of intent as to where the Council stood in terms of waste management. He had some concerns about the future direction of waste collection i.e. some authorities seemed to be considering three weekly residual collections and reducing bin sizes etc. In addition, many people saw the comingled collection, which was Tewkesbury Borough’s current recyclate collection, as contaminated. However, the Council Plan was focussed on customer service and Tewkesbury Borough Council considered its own service to be the best in Gloucestershire. The Joint Waste Committee had indicated that waste was a demand-led service but he felt it was important to remember that demands came from customers. Bearing all of this in mind, the proposer of the Motion felt it was important to set out the Council’s minimum service standards and he referred to points 1-3 within the Motion set out on the Agenda. In seconding the Motion, Councillor Berry advised that she fully supported the proposer of the Motion. She had undertaken some research which had found that the highest performing authority was South Oxfordshire and that all five top performing authorities collected recyclate in large bins like Tewkesbury Borough’s blue bins. She felt this showed that there was no need to change the service that Tewkesbury Borough offered except to improve it by adding things like the collection of clothes, textiles and batteries which would all achieve more at the weigh-in than the current collection. She was of the view that the worst thing the Council could do would be to remove its current blue bin service. In addition to these concerns, the Member also felt that there was probably a health and safety issue as she, along with many other residents, would not be able to carry four or five different recycling boxes out to the kerbside and that must deter people from recycling; this would also affect the waste collection operatives and was something she felt should be borne in mind.

104.4         In supporting the Motion, a Member advised that the idea of a kerbside collection was that it was cleaner and should gain a better market price for the recyclate collected. This was an advantage depending on the market but the method was not as popular with customers. Kerbside collections meant more disruption for road users since it was sorted as it was collected and as such took longer to collect; Members felt this was a big disadvantage. A Member was of the view that the Council’s co-mingled service was both clean and efficient and was one that others should aspire to. Another Member expressed the view that anything that could be done to reinforce the Council’s current collection methods was welcome; he was very concerned that flytipping would increase if the frequency of residual waste collections was reduced.

104.5         A Member proposed an amendment, which was seconded, that there also be a commitment to the collection of food waste at a minimum of once a week. He felt this service was extremely important to residents and that the Council’s intention to continue the weekly collection should be reaffirmed. The seconder of the amendment expressed concern that she was not aware of any discussions at the authority to change the current system and she felt if there was information available to this effect it should be shared with all Members. In response, the Lead Member explained that Tewkesbury Borough, along with Cheltenham Borough, Cotswold District and the Forest of Dean District Councils were all Members of the Joint Waste Committee; Stroud District and Gloucester City Councils were not members and, although they did have representatives that attended the meetings, they had no voting rights. The Joint Waste Committee had been looking at its business plan which aimed to bring together the way that authorities dealt with waste collection under one system; at this stage it was not known what that system would be. The proposer and seconder of the original Motion, along with the Lead Member, indicated that they were comfortable with the amendment and accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That the following Motion be AGREED:

                                                ‘Customer focused service is one of the highest priorities for                              Tewkesbury Borough Council, and the Council Plan sets out                                   our objectives to achieve this commitment. ‘Puts Customers                                 First’ is one of our Council values.

                                                Tewkesbury Borough Council’s current waste collection service                              is the best in Gloucestershire in meeting the demands of                                        residents, and achieves our customer service ethos.

                                                Tewkesbury Borough Council is committed to maintaining the                            existing minimum service standard of:

1)    bi-weekly residual waste (green bin) collections, to ensure that our customers receive an effective, hygienic rate of waste removal;

2)    current large capacity residual waste bins (our existing standard), to ensure that customers are not in danger of having insufficient storage capacity, particularly where they might miss a collection;

3)    co-mingled recycling (blue bin) collections, the simplest recycling service currently available, and an effective encouragement to recycling; and

4)    weekly food waste collections.

                                                We welcome the attempts of the Joint Waste Committee to                                                 seek efficiencies in waste management across Gloucestershire                                          through standardisation, providing these do not reduce in any                                               way the minimum customer service standards listed above,                                              which would be contrary to our customer service ethos and our                                                Council Plan’.