Desperate plea to find precious ring Fears binmen will get ‘poverty wages’ under in-house system

A couple who have been married for almost 63 years are desperate to find a gold ring lost on a visit to Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

Brian Urwin is distraught that one his most treasured possessions, given to him by his wife Brenda before their wedding, went missing after falling off his finger.

The couple, both 83, have been together since they were 19 and the signet ring, which has a small diamond, was a family heirloom.

Great-grandad Brian, who lives in Royal Esplanade, Ramsgate, said: “My wife and I are completely devoted to each other and ring is of huge sentimental value to me and my family.

“It was worn by my father before me and is a symbol of 63 years of love, marriage and dedication to my wife and family.”

He added: “Unfortunately, due to ill health, I have lost a huge amount of weight in the last few months and it seems to have fallen off somewhere around hospital when I visited last week.”

Anyone who finds it can email karen.b.urwin@gmail.com. The city council’s proposal to run its own household waste collection service has been met with scepticism by opposition Labour members.

Councillors are questioning the authority’s plan, revealed in the Kentish Gazette last week, to set up a Local Authority Trading Company (LATCO) to empty the district’s bins, claiming it could lead to staff being paid “poverty wages”.

Labour group leader Cllr Alan Baldock agrees Serco’s troubled contract should not be renewed when it ends in 2021, or again be put out to tender.

But he wants the work to be brought “fully in-house” so staff are city council employees.

“Their proposal for a LATCO won’t look or feel like an ‘in-house’ service which most of us would recognise,” he says.

“Little will change on the out- side. Quite possibly, bins will be collected by agency staff on short-term contracts, or zerohour contracts and paid the minimum wage.

“But there is no reason that a true in-house operation cannot be equally able to accommodate the many changes ahead for waste management, without the imposed ‘flexibility’ of poor pay and conditions.”

He says the group will be opposing the plan “on principle” and claims the “flexibility,” built into the plan will benefit the council, not its workers.

“Residents will not support a service delivered on the back of poverty wages, poor conditions and insecure employment,” he added.

But the city council says workers’ employment conditions will be protected.

Spokesman Rob Davies said: “The exact arrangements for staffing will be looked at as part of the detailed business plan work that will happen should the committee recommendation be agreed.

“It is therefore far too early to talk about salaries, but we will want to have staff who are motivated and committed to their work, and setting the right level of pay is an important part of achieving this.

“As the report makes clear, Serco staff would transfer to the LATCO with their employment conditions protected, in line with existing national employment regulations known as TUPE.

“All waste collection services up and down the country have to use agency staff on some occasions to cover issues such as unexpected short-term sickness.

“Pay rates for these staff are set by the agency, not by local authorities.”

A decision on whether to forge ahead with preparations for a LATCO was due to be taken by the policy and resources committee last night (Wednesday).

n What do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup. co.uk.

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