WASTE

Councils forced to suspend waste services due to staff shortages

Several local authorities have been forced to reduce or suspend waste and recycling services due to staff having to self-isolate and a national shortage of drivers.

Several local authorities have been forced to reduce or suspend waste and recycling services due to staff having to self-isolate and a national shortage of drivers.

Many councils have declared an 'emergency situation' after large numbers of staff have been told to self-isolate by the COVID-19 app. This has been compounded by a national shortage of 100,000 HGV drivers as a result of Brexit.

Derbyshire Dales District Council has been forced to suspend all food waste collections and has warned residents some recycling and domestic waste collections will be missed.

A statement from the council said: 'The staffing situation at our contractor Serco - caused in part by a national shortage of drivers and also by new COVID isolations - is now just as acute as it was in the early months of the pandemic.'

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council has moved its weekly bin collections to fortnightly for most households and suspended all green waste collections. Derby City Council has also been forced to delay some collections and suspend its garden waste collections as well.

Both Reading Borough Council and Doncaster Council have temporarily suspended their garden waste collections to focus on maintaining statutory refuse and recycling collection services.

Cllr Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading's lead member for neighbourhoods and communities, said: 'Councils across the country are experiencing disruption to waste collection services caused by the increasing number of COVID cases and consequent rise in people having to self-isolate. In Reading, we are doing everything we can to keep essential services going for our residents and minimise disruption to collections.

'Pausing green waste collections will help our efforts to ensure we can concentrate on priority waste and recycling collections.'

Cllr Mark Houlbrook, Doncaster Council's portfolio holder for sustainability and waste, said: 'It is balancing act to safeguard everyone's safety against the risks of COVID-19 and making sure the bins are collected. However, as we have fewer staff members, this will mean that black and blue (recycling) bin collections will be prioritised.'

WASTE

Brokering a new social contract

By Donna Hall CBE | 16 July 2024

Local government is uniquely positioned to play a huge role in the rebuilding of a new social contract between the public and public servants, says Donna Hall

WASTE

Free to be

By Nick Plumb | 16 July 2024

Devolution needs to be pushed beyond the town hall to restore trust in government, and the community can play a much greater role, says Nick Plumb

WASTE

Council housing landlords warn of £2.2bn 'black hole'

By William Eichler | 11 July 2024

Twenty of England’s largest local authority landlords have warned that the council housing financial model is ‘unsustainable’ with councils’ housing budgets ...

WASTE

South Cambs' four-day week trial shows 'positive' results

By William Eichler | 08 July 2024

A report into South Cambridgeshire DC’s controversial four-day week trial found the majority of key performance indicators had improved or remained the same.

Popular articles by Laura Sharman