Decision details

RESOLVED that Cabinet: -

(a)           approves up to £300,000 of an available £6.5m DCLG Waste Infrastructure capital fund, is utilised to undertake a feasibility study and develop a business case for disposing of, or repurposing existing operational depots across the Council, and building a modern single operational depot to meet future demand;

(b)           supports the £260,000 of ongoing revenue funding requested from 2022/23 onwards, to sufficiently resource the Strategic Waste Team within Environment Services to meet statutory requirements;

(c)           supports the £176,000 of ongoing revenue funding requested from 2022/23 onwards, to sufficiently resource the Commercial Waste Team within Environment Services to ensure there is no business failure;

(d)           notes that £260,000 and £176,000 per annum from 2022/23 onwards will formally be recommended to Council as part of the 2022/23 budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan Update report in February 2022; and

(e)           approves that, a comprehensive service review of commercial waste services is undertaken to identify priority areas for service growth, likely income contributions and associated resource requirements.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Environment and Place

Reasons

1.    To establish the feasibility of a single consolidated waste depot for BCP Council. The two main existing depots are not fit for purpose and need substantial investment.

2.    To explore opportunities for combining depot provisions with other Council services, realising further asset rationalisation efficiencies and improved collaboration. Also, available site search will explore opportunities to address natural burial site shortage.

3.    To ensure legal compliance with the Government’s Environmental Bill, and other relevant legislation, through sufficient staff resource to effectively design, plan, implement and promote the forthcoming service delivery changes.

4.    To review the future development and rationalisation of existing waste infrastructure (Recycling Centres, transfer stations, ancillary depots) that BCP Council has inherited from the four legacy councils, and ensure legal compliance with the site-specific environmental permits.

5.    To reduce reliance on agency staff currently utilised to meet commercial waste service demands for weighbridge, office based and operational staff resource.

6.    Without these further staff resources, current service levels are not sustainable and a reduction in income generation from commercial waste is likely.

7.    BCP Council commercial waste services currently generate £3.4m of income pa, from 3,000 customers on bin collections, commercial skips, underground bin collections, bulky waste collections and commercial weighbridge transactions. Areas for service expansion have been identified that have the potential to enhance the Council commercial waste offer, and further contribute to the MTFP.