Agenda and minutes

It was agreed that due to the inquorate nature of the meeting this item would be deferred to the Committee’s next meeting.

The minutes of the Joint Waste Collection Services Committee meeting held on 4^th March 2021 were noted.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive a report providing an update on the financial position of Joint Waste Solutions at the end of the 2020/21 financial year.

The Committee received a report setting out the financial position of Joint Waste Solutions (JWS) at the end of the 2020/21 financial year.

It was reported that at the end of the 2020/21 financial year the Contract Management Office’s expenditure was £2,381,832, against an agreed budget of £2,630,837.   The majority of the £249,005 underspend was attributable to a combination of staff vacancies at JWS, Covid-19 pandemic related savings arising from travel and meeting requirements changing through restrictions and a significant underspend of £91,000 on the Communications and Engagement budget due to delays in the reorganisation of rounds in Surrey Heath, Elmbridge and Woking due to the pandemic.

The variable charges paid to Amey had been heavily impacted by the pandemic and these had exceeded the £1.78million agreed budget by £938,442 with the majority of this money (£690, 995 or 74%) being spent on hiring agency staff to cover for regular staff who had been unable to work.

The Committee noted the report.

To receive a report providing an update on waste and recycling performance across the partner authorities.

The Committee received a report summarising the recycling performance of the partner authorities at the end of the fourth quarter (January to March 2021) of the 2020/21 financial year.

It was reported that across Surrey there had been a 13.5% increase in tonnages collected during the twelve month period to March 2021, compared to the same period the previous year.  Food waste tonnages had increased by 12.2% when compared to the previous year however residual waste tonnages had also increased by 6.7% when compared to the previous year.  Whilst the proportion of garden waste collected at the roadside had increased there had been a reduction in the tonnages collected at the Community Recycling Centres and overall the tonnages collected during 2020/21 had remained on a par with the tonnages collected in 2019/20.  These trends were largely mirrored across the Joint Contract partnership area.

It was noted that materials markets had recovered towards the end of 2020 and consequently the proportion of materials which had been collected and subsequently sent for recycling had increased during the fourth quarter of 2020/21.  Whilst it was stressed that a proportion of the materials in waste streams were not currently recyclable and this would limit recycling rates it was also noted that the emerging Waste and Resources Strategy would fundamentally change the way that local authorities dealt with waste and recycling collections and kerbside collections.

The possible reasons for the 50% year on year reduction in fly tipping recorded in Elmbridge were being investigated however it was considered that changes to the way that tonnages were recorded at the weighbridge were the most likely reason for the increase. 

Over the course of the year, the 12 month trolling average recycling rate had shown recycling rates had fallen in Surrey Heath.  Investigations in to the reasons for this had found that the number of loads rejected had increased over the year.  The Intervention Team at JWS had been carrying out targeted work with residents to reduce contamination and this was starting to show positive results.

The fall in textiles recycling over the past twelve months was attributed to a combination of factors including the closure of the CRCs during the early stages of the pandemic and the difficulties in collecting accurate data from the collections made from textile bring banks located in public areas.

It was noted that the tonnages collected had risen as lifestyles adapted to pandemic restrictions and it was expected that tonnages would remain at these higher levels as restrictions were eased and removed.  Whilst waste transfer stations could cope with these current high tonnages it was questioned whether this was sustainable in the long term.  It was agreed that these concerns would be followed up.

The Committee noted the report.

To receive a report summarising Amey’s contract performance over the course of 2020/21.

The Committee received a report summarising the performance of the Joint Waste contract at the end of the 2020/21 financial year. 

Successful partnership working between Amey and JWS had enabled Amey to continue to successfully deliver waste collection services throughout the course of the pandemic with minimal disruption to residents.  The support given by councils during the pandemic period allied to the complements that had been received from residents, officers and councillors had helped to contribute to high levels of morale amongst crew members through the pandemic period.

Significant advances had been made during 2020/21 to ensure that the database of garden waste subscribers was up to date, correctly formatted and any outstanding monies had been recovered from holders of historical overdue accounts.  To support this new processes had been put in place to improve income recovery rates.

Amey’s concerns about driver numbers and the impacts that these might have on performance indicators were noted.  Partner authorities agreed that these would be discussed with Amey on a case by case basis as any difficulties arose.

The Committee was informed that Nicola Blake would be taking up a new position within Amey and responsibility for managing the joint contract would, on an interim basis, be overseen by Amey’s Paul Anderson who was currently covering the waste contract in Trafford.  The Committee’s concerns about one person having the ability and capacity to oversee two separate contracts at opposite ends of the country were noted.  Amey stressed that they were mindful of the demands of each contract and additional support would be available in the event that this was required.

The Committee noted the update.

To receive an update on the work programme for the Joint Contract area during the 2021/22 financial year.

The Committee received and noted a report setting out JWS’s work programme for 2021/22. 

It was noted that this would be the last meeting of the Committee to be attended by Nicola Blake, John Mackintosh and Tim Pashen before they either moved on to new roles or retired.

The Chairman, on behalf of the Committee, thanked all three officers for their work to support the Joint Waste Contract over the years and wished them well for the future.

The next scheduled meeting of the Joint Waste Collection Services Committee will take place on Thursday 30^th September 2021 at 11.30am.

It was noted that the next scheduled meeting of the Joint Waste Collection Services Committee would take place on Thursday 30^th September 2021 at 11.30am.