Issue - meetings

Following its temporary suspension this report considers the future of the Saturday Freighter Service.

Item CE 22/5 (1) referred from Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee of 20 July 2022

(Joint report of the Cabinet Member for Technical and Waste Services and the Director of Street Scene, Leisure and Technical Services)

Following its temporary suspension, Cabinet considered the future of the Saturday Freighter Service.  Consideration was also given to recommendation CE 22/5 (1) from the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee of 20 July 2022.

Careful consideration was given to the fact that the service did not encourage recycling; none of the waste collected, apart from electrical items, could be recycled;  alternative disposal opportunities were now available to residents (as detailed in 1.3 of the report) including the recent opening of KCC’s Household Waste Recycling Centre at Allington; environmental factors; that there appeared to be no correlation between the level of incidents of fly tipping and the continued suspension of the service and customer feedback.

Particular reference was made to the financial and value for money considerations (as detailed in 1.9 of the report) and it was recognised that the reinstatement of the service would impact on the income received by the Borough Council from the bookable bulky collection service and the recycling Performance Payments received from KCC.  However, the impact of either of these elements was difficult to estimate. 

It was also noted that a Saturday Freighter was not provided by other local authorities in Kent, with the exception of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, and the service was discretionary.

On the grounds that alternative opportunities for the disposal of bulky items existed, that data suggested no correlation between increased fly tipping and the suspension of the service, that the service did not promote or incentivise residents to recycle and did not support the Borough Council’s Climate Change Strategy and that the non-reinstatement of the service would deliver a saving compared to the current budget provision Cabinet RESOLVED that:

(1)             the recommendation of the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee to remove the Saturday Freighter Service be approved.

Decision Notice: D220086CAB

Following its temporary suspension, Cabinet considered the future of the Saturday Freighter Service.  Consideration was also given to recommendation CE 22/5 (1) from the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee of 20 July 2022.

Careful consideration was given to the fact that the service did not encourage recycling; none of the waste collected, apart from electrical items, could be recycled;  alternative disposal opportunities were now available to residents (as detailed in 1.3 of the report) including the recent opening of KCC’s Household Waste Recycling Centre at Allington; environmental factors; that there appeared to be no correlation between the level of incidents of fly tipping and the continued suspension of the service and customer feedback.

Particular reference was made to the financial and value for money considerations (as detailed in 1.9 of the report) and it was recognised that the reinstatement of the service would impact on the income received by the Borough Council from the bookable bulky collection service and the recycling Performance Payments received from KCC.  However, the impact of either of these elements was difficult to estimate. 

It was also noted that a Saturday Freighter was not provided by other local authorities in Kent, with the exception of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, and the service was discretionary.

On the grounds that alternative opportunities for the disposal of bulky items existed, that data suggested no correlation between increased fly tipping and the suspension of the service, that the service did not promote or incentivise residents to recycle and did not support the Borough Council’s Climate Change Strategy and that the non-reinstatement of the service would deliver a saving compared to the current budget provision Councillor Betts proposed, seconded by Councillor Tanner, that the recommendation of the Scrutiny Select Committee be supported.

RESOLVED: That the recommendation of the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee to remove the Saturday Freighter Service be approved.

Following its temporary suspension the report considers the future of the Saturday Freighter Service.

The joint report of the Cabinet Member for Technical and Waste Services and the Director of Street Scene, Leisure and Technical Services reminded Members that the Saturday Freighter Service had been suspended since 28 March 2020, initially as a result of the Covid pandemic and subsequently due to the national HGV driver shortage and the prioritisation of resources on the delivery of frontline collection services.  Members were reminded that the service had been established to compensate for the non-provision of a Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) within the Borough’s boundary and that Kent County Council (KCC), as the Waste Disposal Authority, had supported the provision of the freighter service with a payment of £9,000 per annum.  This payment ceased following the commissioning of the new HWRC at Allington.

Members gave detailed consideration to the report which provided details of the resources required for the current service, indicated alternative disposal opportunities, identified environmental considerations and advised that, as the service did not promote or incentivise residents to recycle, it contradicted the aims of the Council’s Climate Change Strategy and associated Action Plans and had a negative impact on recycling rates by increasing the tonnage of waste sent for incineration. 

A number of Members expressed concern that withdrawal of the service could lead to an increase in fly tipping and were advised that the data set out in Annex 1 suggested that there was no correlation between increased fly tipping and the suspension of the service.  In response to comments regarding the location of the new facility at Allington relative to communities in the South and West of the Borough the Director of Street Scene, Leisure and Technical Services advised that those residents would be able to use the KCC HWRCs at North Farm, Cuxton and Tovil.  Attention was drawn to the bookable Household Bulky Waste Collection service which provided a doorstep collection and was offered at a reduced rate for those on Council Tax Reduction benefit.

RECOMMENDED:  That

(1)   Cabinet be asked to remove the Saturday Freighter Service; and

(2)   Cabinet be asked to consider a sliding scale of charges for the bookable Household Bulky Waste Collection service to include two free collections per annum for residents on benefits.

* Referred to Cabinet