Meeting documents

Venue: Room 6, South Bucks District Council, Capswood, Oxford Road, Denham UB9 4LH. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services  01895 837236; Email: democraticservices@chilternandsouthbucks.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

16.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 97 KB

To approve the minutes of the Joint Waste Collection Committee held on 7 November 2019.

 

Minutes:

The Minutes of the Joint Waste Collection Committee meeting held on the 7 November 2019 were agreed as a correct record.

17.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

 

18.

Waste Service Highlight Report pdf icon PDF 135 KB

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report which provided an overview of the joint waste service for the period from October 2019 to December 2019. This included the budget, key targets, formal complaints and key risks. Officers highlighted the following key points:

·         The total number of properties across the Districts continued to grow, as did the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).

·         Letters would be sent out to properties with assisted collections in spring/summer 2020 to ensure that residents still needed the service.

·         The Customer Experience Programme had been fully implemented with the exception of add-ons such as bulky waste collection booking.

·         Waste calendars had been delivered to all residents and corrected versions had been re-issued where necessary. Members commented that they were pleased with the visual design of the new calendars.

·         All recycling centres had been removed by 10 January 2020.

·         The team were preparing for mobilisation of the new waste contract. The extension with Serco had been agreed and dog waste bin collection had been varied into the contract.

·         There was a projected underspend of around £400K on the client budget for the Serco contract with a projected overspend of around £400K on the contract budget.

·         The overall recycling rate across the Districts was 10% above the national average. Biffa performance in South Bucks was generally good. Serco had improved performance with assisted collections and officers were working with them to tackle the number of missed bins. Extra resources, including vehicles for narrower access, had been made available and it was hoped that this would improve the situation going forward.

·         Fleet maintenance of Serco vehicles had been raised as a Health and Safety risk following an evaluation.

 

Members commented that there had still been a number of issues reported from residents relating to the new Customer Experience Programme. Officers advised that there had been some operational issues but these were being tackled, with a focus on whole road misses. The joint waste team would continue to work with customer services to ensure that processes were being followed correctly. The percentage of calls abandoned had reduced significantly and the average wait time had also reduced. Customer services staff had received training to close calls effectively which had improved call handling.

 

 

RESOLVED -

 

That the report be noted.

 

19.

Exclusion of the Public

To resolve that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

Paragraph 3

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular persons (including the authority holding that information).

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED -

 

That under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

Note: the relevant paragraph number and description is indicated under the Minute heading.

 

Paragraph 3 - Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

 

20.

Procurement Highlight Report

Minutes:

The Committee received a restricted report which updated Members on the procurement of the new Joint Waste Contract.

 

It was noted that the procurement would be going through the formal decision making processes at the three procuring Councils and the Shadow Authority in February 2020.

 

The Acting Chief Executive wished to recognise the efforts of all who had been involved with the procurement, which had been complex and challenging. The Committee thanked all of the officers who had been involved for their hard work.

 

The Committee also wished to place on record its thanks to Vincent Hunt for his work on the contract procurement.

 

RESOLVED -

 

That the report be noted.

 

21.

Serco Improvement Plan

Minutes:

The Committee received a report which showed the total number of missed collections across the Chiltern and Wycombe Districts. A full report was tabled at the meeting which outlined the improvement activities taking place on the Serco contract.

 

Officers informed the Committee that the main focus of improvement was on whole road misses. This would be improved with the introduction of smaller vehicles for narrower access. Action was also being taken to reduce missed collections, with a target of a 50% reduction in the next four to six weeks.

 

In response to a question from a Member, it was confirmed that whole road misses were published on the Council websites by 4pm each day.

 

Officers also advised Members that steps were being taken to speed up the removal of fly-tipping. This included working with Bucks County Council (BCC) to ensure that there were no delays in the process, and discussions would be taking place with BCC regarding a single disposal location for mixed loads.

 

As this was likely to be the final meeting of the Committee, the Chairman thanked both past and present Members for their involvement and efforts.

 

RESOLVED -

 

That the report be noted.