Decision details

The Council has submitted a final bid to the Department for Communities and Local Government “Weekly Collections Support Fund”.  A government announcement on the outcome of this bid is anticipated sometime in October.  Should the Council be successful in this bid and choose to accept any funding award, it must commit to keeping a weekly refuse collection service until at least 2016/17 if it wishes to utilise money expressly allocated for that purpose.

The Council has sought funding to retain a weekly refuse collection service until 2016/17 and to deliver a range of projects that will incentivise communities to recycle more waste.

(1) To AGREE that if a funding award is made by DCLG from the weekly collections support fund:

(a) The Council commits to keeping a weekly refuse collection service until 2016/17 and, assuming that the award is for the full amount of the bid, allocates £1.6 million to do this;

(b) The Council allocates the remainder of the funding awarded to projects which are designed to minimise and recycle more waste.

(2) To DELEGATE authority to the Divisional Director of Environmental Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods to agree the detail of the award and the delivery of associated projects with DCLG; and

(3) To NOTE that Council as part of its budget setting process will consider the allocation of resources towards achieving its waste and recycling objectives in the light of the money available from DCLG and the conditions attached thereto.

If this funding is awarded to the Council, projects will be delivered which will have a long term benefit in minimising and recycling more waste and will therefore improve environmental performance and reduce the Council’s waste disposal financial liabilities in the long term.  The funding sought will enable the Council to continue to fund a weekly refuse collection service until 2016/17.

Not to accept the award

The Cabinet would then be asked to consider reducing refuse collections to fortnightly to save cost. New recycling projects would not be delivered.

None