Agenda item

To consider the report of the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support, and the report of the Chief Officer Environmental Services which provides information relating to kerbside collections of domestic waste and provides guidance regarding the scope of work for further review or inquiry.

The report of the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support was considered as the basis for a scoping discussion on Waste Management and Kerbside Collection, following consideration of a request for Scrutiny regarding refuse collection. At its meeting on 28th June 2018, Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing and Communities) identified current performance and the developing waste management strategy as a potential area of focus for the 2018/19 municipal year

The report provided advice on key considerations when determining the scope of any review/inquiry and included a report submitted by the Chief Officer, Environmental Services, setting out further information on the Waste Management Service in Leeds in order to help inform Scrutiny discussions on the scope of an inquiry into this service.

The following were in attendance to discuss the issue with the Board:

·  James Rogers - Director of Communities and Environment

·  Helen Freeman – Chief Officer, Environmental Action

·  Susan Hardy – Service Manager, Waste Management

·  Andrew Lingham – Head of Service (Waste Strategy)

·  Councillor Mohammed Rafique – Executive Member

·  Councillor Matthew Robinson

·  Councillor Paul Wadsworth

·  Councillor Mark Dobson

The Board heard from Councillors M Robinson; P Wadsworth and M Dobson as signatories to a letter submitted requesting scrutiny of this issue.

The Board noted the suggested areas for review and identified the following as areas for Scrutiny:

·  To provide a better, accurate understanding of performance of kerbside collections, with a focus on what is being collected, recycling rates and whether the rates are sufficient and continue to move in the right direction.

·  To understand/agree what constitutes a true service failure and therefore the point at which escalations should be made by Members and residents and how best to do this efficiently.

·  To make recommendations on improving the customer focus of the service, including an ability for residents to readily check for themselves what’s happening with current collections in their area; and the role of advice; education and enforcement to encourage residents to become involved in improving the service.

·  To understand the process of recording and reporting daily collection activity and to recommend how that can best be reported to Members and other external interested parties.

·  To understand the process of recording and reporting longer term issues that hinder the collection of refuse that need to be addressed by other parts of the local authority or other organisations.

·  To explore and understand the reasons for missed collections across the city, including the measures available to tackle blocked highway access and the possibility of a pilot scheme for the use of Traffic Regulation Orders

·  To see the patterns and trends of collection rates & the incidence and reasons behind repeat misses in certain locations.

• To consider the needs of Leeds Residents and the longer term aspirations for Leeds in the developing waste management strategy, to enhance service, build resilience, ensure compliance and overcome problems. This is to include focus on Environmental Enforcement in accordance with the request for Scrutiny in June 2018.

·  As part of the developing waste management strategy to understand the fleet and the potential for route review to enhance service delivery and effectiveness.

To conclude, Councillor M Rafique, Executive Member for Environment and Active Lifestyles, briefly addressed the meeting. The Chair suggested that the opportunity to join collection crews on their rounds in August/September be explored, and that members participating report their findings at the next full Board meeting.

RESOLVED -

a)  To note the information contained within the report and the report submitted by the Chief Officer Environmental Services.

b)  To agree the scope of the review/inquiry having regard to the advice provided in paragraphs 2.2 and 2.3 of the submitted report

c)  To request that the Principal Scrutiny Adviser draft a terms of reference for the review/inquiry to be presented to the working group for consideration and agreement.