Stockport’s streets will soon see two new modern waste collection vehicles which, alongside new driver recruitment and training, will address the service issues recently experienced, it has been revealed.
Labour’s Cllr Sheila Bailey, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport has informed all Stockport Councillors of the purchase of two new refuse collection vehicles as part of a package of measures designed to turn around recent issues experienced with refuse collection.
These measures include the provision of more resources for collection rounds provided to Stockport’s Totally Local Company (TLC), the Council’s contractor, for 2019/20. All permanent driver posts are now recruited to with new drivers starting later this month alongside further internal operatives to be fully trained by September.
It is anticipated the additional vehicles and drivers plus the reopening of the improved Bredbury recycling centre in August should result in significant improvements to the service in the coming months. The closure of the plant has meant longer journey and waiting times for refuse vehicles.
Councillor Bailey said:
“As soon as the situation was reported to me, I asked for a review to establish the problems and what action was needed to remedy them. TLC have worked hard to identify the issues and the responses needed. I have written to all Stockport Councillors outlining the current situation and the actions being taken.
“I have asked for daily monitoring for the next few weeks, and longer if necessary, to ensure standards are met and maintained”.
ENDS
NOTES
The full text of the letter sent to Councillors 16.17.19 reads as follows:
Dear Councillors
As promised at the last Council meeting I am providing information regarding the recent performance of the waste collection service in parts of the borough which has not been acceptable. A number of residents have had repeated service failures. This email updates members on the reasons for these failures, the measures that have been taken to improve matters and highlights how officers are intensively overseeing the service for the next few weeks and longer, if necessary.
The Council’s contractor, Totally Local Company (TLC), has been provided with additional resources in 2019/20 for collection rounds. Following a request for analysis of the recent disruption, TLC have advised that there are three main reasons why the benefits of the additional investment have not yet been realised and what measures they have put in place to deal with the failures. These are:
Vehicle availability – there have been intermittent problems with the hydraulics of one of the vehicle types. Specifically this been the overheating of mechanical parts associated with the compactor. This has caused the vehicles to stop working, occasionally multiple times a day. Engineers have identified a number of possible causes and are working to resolve these. Furthermore there are two new, replacement vehicles on order and expected to be delivered by the end of August which will help reduce the frequency of such incidents.
Staffing – there is a national shortage of HGV drivers which has meant that recruiting temporary staff to cover sickness and vacancies has been difficult. All permanent driver posts are now recruited to with new drivers starting later this month. TLC are also training 3 internal operatives to be drivers to increase resilience and it is expected that they will be qualified by the end of September.
Tipping – Residual and paper collections are being diverted to Sharston whilst work is ongoing at the Bredbury recycling centre. This has increased travel and waiting time for crews and reduces their capacity to assist with missed collections elsewhere. This work is due to be completed on Thursday 22nd August.
The measures undertaken by TLC appear to have stabilised the service. It is anticipated that the additional vehicles and drivers plus the reopening of the Bredbury site will also reinforce resilience.
In the meantime, I have asked for a daily report on round performance and any actions required. I am pleased to confirm that all rounds were successfully completed week commencing Monday 8th July. However, the underlying concerns mean there will be continual monitoring on a daily basis over the next few weeks and longer if necessary.
It was also raised with me that missed collections can only be reported after 6pm. This is because TLC vehicles can work until 6pm and delaying reports of missed collections until after this time avoids jobs being logged when the vehicle has yet to attend. However, I don’t think the information on the website explains this adequately and it needs to be changed.
Finally, I am also aware that there are issues with our website as after reporting missed collections individuals are advised, incorrectly, that their missed bin will be collected the following week. However, when large sections of properties are missed, TLC will return within the next couple of days. I have asked that we address this anomaly so that our response is correct and consistent. This is being addressed and the importance of resolving this issue has been made clear.
Stockport residents should expect an excellent waste collection service which has recently dipped well below expected standards. The measures in place have already seen an improvement in the service and I believe that the additional steps will reinforce these improvements in the near future.