30 August 2021
Residents in West Kent are, by now, heartily sick of hearing excuses regarding the suspension of garden waste collections and now are told that there is no timetable for them to be resumed by Tonbridge and Malling and Tunbridge Wells Borough Councils.
Over the past several months, Borough Councillors April Clark and Mark Hood have sought to establish the underlying reasons for the failure to resolve the ongoing issues including staff shortages and the failure of Urbaser to retain the staff they inherited from the previous contractors. We know that there is a nationwide shortage of HGV drivers but that does not explain why so many employees have left our waste service. We have found the lack of transparency frustrating as monthly Key Performance Indicators have been unavailable to members (we now have yearly statistics but not monthly breakdowns) and Urbaser remain tight-lipped about current staffing numbers.
In Mark’s professional capacity as a gardener, he knows only too well how the suspension of garden waste is impacting on residents as material such as hedge-clippings continues to build up. Some garden waste simply cannot be composted away. The resultant bonfires are not helping us meet our carbon targets and are frequently the source of neighbour disputes.
Residents are being let down at a time of the year when they rely on the collections they have paid for up front. Being told that the missing weeks will be added to the end of the current period is no compensation and the fact is that these missing weeks of paid-for collections will have a huge impact on the finances of both affected Borough Councils.
So, how long is this going to continue? Having gambled with accepting the lowest-priced contract, despite the horror stories from councils working with Urbaser elsewhere, we are trapped in a situation with Urbaser incapable of meeting the terms of the contract and a penalty system which is proving wholly ineffectual. We are trapped in a cycle of the same excuses being touted and no indication that a resolution is in sight.
In the meantime, our roads continue to be litterstrewn and our environment continues to suffer. In some areas, private companies have stepped in to adopt stretches of road rather than see the litter build up. In Tonbridge, the Green Party are assisting local organisations and businesses in the coming weeks with special events to tackle the rubbish in our communities.
As County Councillors Paul Stepto and Mark Hood know, there have been mounting requests from residents to scrap the appointment system for visitors to our Household Waste Recycling Centres. With doorstep collection for garden waste currently suspended at several councils across Kent, it seems unlikely that the number of visits is going to subside anytime soon and feedback from residents suggests that satisfaction with the current booking system is surprisingly high.
In order to get the clearest picture, KCC has now undertaken a consultation asking for views about making the appointment system permanent. In the meantime, unlimited visits to the centres are available and same-day appointments are also being brought forward
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