Decision details

Authority to implement the cabinet decision of 4 December 2018, following consultation, was delegated to the Managing Director, Place and Growth in consultation with the cabinet member – clean and green environment.

That following the results of public consultation which are considered to be consistent with the decision being taken and set out in the report, the Managing Director, Place and Growth has decided that the following be implemented from 1 February 2019:

1. An increase in the garden waste collection charge from £42/year to  £45/year per bin;

2. The retention of a prompt payment discount at £3 per bin for households renewing their subscription ahead of their annual renewal date;

3. The retention of a spring offer discount at £3 per bin for new

customers who subscribe to the garden waste collection

service during the period 1st February 2019 to 31st May 2019

4. Reduction in the number of garden waste collections over the Christmas/New Year period by 2 collections each year commencing 23 December 2019, 30 December 2019, 6 January 2020, 13 January 2020.  Normal collections will resume Monday 20 January 2020.

The increasing number of customers subscribing to the garden waste service requires an additional vehicle and crew for 9 months of the year.  The increase in charges for the service will also help offset these additional year on year costs for the authority by an estimated £50,000 per year additional income. 

The increase in charges for the garden waste collection service will bring this Authority closer in line with our neighbouring Authority, Tewkesbury Borough Council, which had charged £45 per year for their garden waste collection service (albeit without any discount) but have now agreed an increase in charges to £48.50 for 2019/20.

During the winter of 2017 and the early part of 2018, severe weather (snow) caused service disruption which was more difficult to manage at this time of year as a result of the adjusted schedule of collections already in place due to the Christmas and New Year bank holidays and therefore the need to schedule catch up Saturday collections.

A reduction in the number of garden waste collections per year by 2 per customer will enable this resource (vehicle and crew) to be utilised to assist seasonal catch up collections or catch up collections required as a result of suspending services due to severe weather (snow) improving. 

Whilst increasing the garden waste charges in line with neighbouring authorities to £48.50 per year was considered and rejected, the lower charge of £45 per year, retaining the £3 early bird discount was proposed and now agreed.

The budget position is such that it would be unwise to withdraw the proposed increase in garden waste charges – see report attached.

From the public consultation carried out between 19 December 2018 and 6 January 2019 which is consistent with the decision being taken, 54.3% of respondents said no to an increase above £1.75 per collection (the proposed increase to £45 per year set out in the consultation as £1.75 per collection with the early bird discount – 24 collections @ £1.75 per collection = £42 per year with the early bird discount which most customers take up) however 45.7% said either yes to a higher charge but didn’t know how much more (13.1%); yes to paying £2 per collection (16.3%); didn’t know (13.1%) and the remainder (3.2%) yes to paying up to £2.50 per collection.

Whilst 56.2% of those who responded to the public consultation survey said no to a November to January suspension of garden waste collections, overwhelmingly 72.1% of those who responded supported the shorter suspension of garden waste collections over the Christmas/New Year period.

The on line public consultation exercise carried out 19 December 2018 to 6 January 2019 had a better response rate than the previous consultation carried out in 2016 using the same method with 4257 responses received prior to inclusion of paper survey responses.  Paper copies were available at the household recycling centre in Swindon Road and also in reception areas around the borough. 

This decision has been taken in consultation with the Cabinet member clean and green environment who supports the decision.