Hundreds of residents demand inquiry into bin collection contract

SERVICE DISRUPTIONS RESULT IN ‘LOST CONFIDENCE’ CLAIMS

HUNDREDS of frustrated residents have signed a petition demanding an urgent inquiry into Serco’s handling of the Derbyshire Dales bin collection contract.

The petition, signed by nearly 600 people, will be debated at a Derbyshire Dales District Council meeting on Thursday.

Council papers say the lead petitioner will be able to make a statement to the council and then an expert officer will brief the authority on background information and the chairman may ask questions of the petition organiser.

After this, the issue will be debated and could be referred for an investigation.

At the same meeting, Dales councillors are calling for an immediate independent review of Serco’s bin collection contract, led by the Association of Public Service Excellence.

Bin collections in the Dales have been inconsistent for months now due to a range of issues.

Cllrs Paul Cruise and Colin Swindell have brought a motion calling for the review, with a strict deadline of the end of November for an investigation report to be produced.

They claim Serco has “dramatically under-delivered” on the contract and “as a local authority we have let our residents down”.

The councillors claim: “The promise of a convenient outsourcing arrangement has fallen flat. Serco has failed to provide an essential service to residents across the district over a prolonged period of time during 2021.

“Our residents are furious that Derbyshire Dales District Council continues to run a contract that is under-delivering whilst subsidising the large corporation responsible for the contract – a large corporation that is making millions of pounds’ profit.

“Approximately 600 residents of the Derbyshire Dales have signed a petition requesting that an independent review is undertaken into the Derbyshire Dales District Council/Serco waste management contract.

“They have lost confidence in the council and Serco.”

Serco was approached for comment and said it was a district council issue.

Claire Cadogan, chair of Derbyshire Dales Lib Dems, who helped coordinate the petition, said: “Residents in Derbyshire Dales have the right to know how and why the situation has become as serious as it has, and what lessons the council needs to learn for its management of waste contracts in the future, particularly when outsourced to a company who made profits of circa £120 million in the first six months of 2021.”

Cllr Peter O’Brien, who had his call for an inquiry quashed in early July, said: “I think the residents of the Derbyshire Dales have every right to ask for this inquiry.

“Despite the council agreeing reductions in the service, and offering to pay half the cost of a pay rise, serious disruptions are continuing.

“It’s clear that residents have lost confidence in both Serco and the council, and the only way this can be restored is through a full and independent investigation into exactly what’s going on.”

Two weeks ago, bin collection staff employed by Serco in the Dales backed a move to go on strike and bring industrial action over a pay dispute, though they are still working with Serco, through the trade union GMB, to reach an agreement.

In late July, the district council, by a split vote, agreed to give Serco more money to fund a pay rise for staff taking rates to between £12 and £17 an hour.

Staff at the time had been on £10.82 an hour.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has not been informed of what the current pay has been increased to or the offer on the table for employees.

Issues which have been affecting services include staff absence due to Covid, how lockdown periods have hit the number of drivers able to get their training, Brexit has hit the supply of European labour and low salaries have seen drivers and collection staff leaving the profession.

In late July, Serco said it only had half the staff it needs in the Dales and was struggling to fill positions. It had claimed its contract with the district council was not profitable.

In a bid to ease pressure on services, the council agreed to suspend garden waste collections for a month, until late August.

It said in late August that excess recycling would not be collected for three months, with no restart date for separate food waste collections.