Agenda item

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet supported the recommendations of the Waste Programme Board to:

1.     Make permanent the collections of food waste containers from “behind the gate” in the defined areas open to free roaming livestock;

2.     Instruct officers to conduct a whole service review after the completion of the phase 3 roll-out to include consideration of the approach to collection of wheeled bins from areas open to livestock and to also assess overall service productivity and efficiency;

3.     Support additional funding to the current bring-site service, and that a review be conducted upon completion of the phase 3 roll-out.

4.     That Cabinet recommended that Council:

a)    Approves an additional £1.500m of annual budget to be added to the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan from 2026/27 onwards to maintain collection service continuity, bring site services and retain the collections of food waste containers from behind gates in areas open to free roaming livestock;

b)    Approves an additional £967,000 to be added to the Council’s Capital Programme for 2026/27 to accommodate the purchase of the additional vehicles required to support recommendation 4a; and

c)     Approves a supplementary budget of £301,000 to 2025/26 to support the continued bring-site service

KEY DECISION:

Yes

PORTFOLIO:

Environment and Sustainability

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED/REJECTED:

As set out in the report.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

None.

DISCUSSION:

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability introduced the report and explained the current position of the new waste service rollout and the steps needed to maintain its success. He highlighted the environmental benefits of the new service and emphasised the imperative of meeting the statutory obligations under the Environment Act 2021.

The report addressed the operational challenges of the new service in areas of the Forest where there was free-roaming livestock and recommended permanent ‘behind-the-gate’ food waste caddies which proved to be successful in safeguarding livestock and the delivery of the service. The report also sought additional funding to maintain the bring-site provision. The Council was committed to a full review after phase 3 of the rollout was complete, which would allow the Council to consider its approach and wider changes that may need be made. These changes to the service would be informed by data and formal modelling.

The Portfolio Holder highlighted the financially significant recommendations, to include a £301,000 supplemental budget in 25/26, a £1.5m annual increase for the service overall from 26/27 and £967,000 of capital funding for additional vehicles to be acquired in 26/27. Council focus was on ensuring that the service remained effective, efficient and resilient alongside being environmental responsible and legally compliant, while also allowing scope for further considerations of long-term options once the service had bedded in.

The Strategic Director of Place, Operations and Sustainability provided further detail on the report. He stressed the careful planning and flexible approach required for a service-wide change of this scale. He referred to the partner engagement and necessary advice sought in crafting the recommendations put before Cabinet with a reminder of the recommended further review following phase 3 of the rollout.

A non-Cabinet member asked whether Cabinet were confident that there were enough resources and a sufficient budget in place to reassure residents in areas covered by phase 3 of the rollout. The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability responded that the Council had learned many things from phase 1 of the rollout and that despite the scale of the logistical service change he was confident that phase 3 would be delivered to meet the needs and wishes of NFDC residents.

Non-Cabinet members acknowledged the successes of the first two phases and noted that the experience of the new service rollout had been positive for the vast majority of residents.

A non-Cabinet member congratulated officers on their hard work during the rollout and on the lessons that they had taken on board during the first two phases. He noted that phase 2 had benefitted from the lesson learned during phase 1.

On education of waste habits, the Portfolio Holder acknowledged that education was a very important factor and that Council officers would continue to reach out to schools and the wider community to promote more sustainable practices.