Agenda item

Environmental Services Business Cases

Meeting of Cabinet, Wednesday 13th February 2019 5.30 p.m. (Item 67/18)

Minutes:

The Environmental Services Manager, supported by the Environmental Services Co-ordinator, presented the report and explained that this covered three areas, Domestic Waste Collection Services – options to support sustainable delivery for the future, Commercial Waste Collection Services – options to support future growth and income generation and the future delivery of Place working across Bromsgrove District.

In presenting the reports the Environmental Services Manager highlighted a number of areas covering each business case.

Domestic Waste Collection

· The significant service disruption in the delivery of this service in August/September 2018 due to a culmination of annual leave and above average sickness levels and the impact of housing growth going forward.

· To mitigate the risk of further service failure going forward.

· The use of agency staff and the financial impact of this.

· The current service was reviewed in order to strengthen the existing model.

· A full service review over the next two years.

· The potential impact of the Government’s Waste Strategy which had recently been published. This included the potential to introduce a food waste collection service and free garden waste collection, which would have significant financial impact to the Council.

Commercial Waste Service

· Significant growth in the service in the last two years which has resulted in a change of focus and greater drive to grow the service.

· A small surplus had been made, but the service was not at full capacity.

· The opportunity to generate additional income for the Council.

Place Teams

· The most visible service within the District and the work that they carried out and the benefit from this service over the last two years.

· The demand for the service and support it has provided to other areas which had impacted on its ability to be pro-active.

· The need for investment in the team and the availability of funds to expand the service.

Councillor M. Sherrey, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services thanked the Team for all their hard work and was supportive of the business cases and the improvements that they would make.

The Head of Environmental Services highlighted that within recommendation for the Domestic Waste Collection, it should in fact state to fund five members of staff and not three.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance confirmed that the funds referred to had already been included within the Medium Term Financial Plan, which had been considered earlier in the meeting.

RECOMMENDED:

(a) that the recommendation from the Domestic Waste Collection Business Case, and allocate £156,646 revenue funding to Environmental Services to fund 5 members of staff, vehicle maintenance costs, and running costs to support the service be approved;

(b) that the Capital Investment of £137,000 for 1 new Collection Vehicle, which will also incur annual borrowing costs of £21,823 from 2020/21 on the corporate financing revenue account be approved;

(c) that the Commercial Waste Business Case, and allocate £184,558 additional revenue funding to Environmental Services to fund 6 additional members of staff, vehicle maintenance and running costs to support the service and the generation of additional income for the Council be approved;

(d) that the Capital Investment of £340,000 for 2 new Collection Vehicles, which will also incur annual borrowing costs of £54,162 from 2020/21 on the corporate financing revenue account be approved; and

(e) that the Future Delivery of Place Team Working Business Case, and allocate £166,697 additional revenue funding to Environmental Services to fund 6 additional members of staff to support the service on a phased implementation over the next 3 years be approved:

	Staff Increase over 2018/19 levels	Additional Revenue Cost over 2018/19 Budget
2019/20	+2	£66,299
2020/21	+4	£119,161
2021/22	+6	£166,697

Supporting documents: