Agenda and minutes

Notification of substitute members were recorded as set out below:

Cllr D Cooper – substitute for Cllr Lark

Cllr H Rogers – substitute for Cllr Foyle

Cllr C Williams – substitute for Cllr Bell

In accordance with Council Procedure Rules 17.5 to 17.9 these Councillors had the same rights as the ordinary member of the committee for whom they were substituting.

Members in any doubt about such declarations are advised to contact Legal or Democratic Services in advance of the meeting

There were no declarations of interest made in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

There are no Minutes for consideration as this is the first meeting of this committee

As this was first meeting of the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee there were no minutes to be considered.

Members of the committee are invited to submit suggestions for the work programme to the Chair, the Scrutiny, Policy and Communities Manager and the Principal Democratic Services Officer in advance of the meeting.

The Terms of Reference for Scrutiny Select Committees are attached as an annex (pages 1-4 refer to the Communities and Environment SSC)

In advance of the meeting, Members had been asked to submit suggestions to be considered for inclusion in the Work Programme for 2022/23.  The following suggestions were received:

·        Tonbridge Castle – outcome of public consultation

·        Biodiversity and Climate Change

·        Review of how the Community Safety Partnership deals with Anti-Social Behaviour with the housing associations and residents who fail to comply.

·        Performance of Waste Services, including KPIs

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

The Chairman to move that the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting during consideration of any items the publication of which would disclose exempt information.

There were no matters considered in private.