Controversial plans to change business waste collection evening hours in the city centre will go ahead after a council scrutiny panel upheld the decision this week.
Business waste collections in the centre of Bath | Photo © John Wimperis
Bath & North East Somerset Council says changing the evening collection window from 5pm-8.45pm to the new time of 6pm-8pm will ensure no waste is left out on the streets between 10am and 6pm, and will bring evening collections into line with the city centre security system.
The council acknowledges there could be an impact on small businesses, with an estimated extra cost of around £3,000 per year per business for staffing, based on an extra hour per day.
A large majority of the businesses which responded were in favour of the plans to make labelling of waste mandatory and enforcing the use of reusable rubbish bags – but 93% were against the collection time change, which starts in September as a 12-month trial.
In total, 87 consultation responses were received. This was a response rate of 14% of all Bath Business Improvement District (BID) directory businesses contacted and 8% of the 1,126 businesses identified by business rates.
After Liberal Democrat cabinet member for resources Councillor Mark Elliott authorised the trial in early July, nine councillors called in his decision due to business and environmental concerns.
They were Colin Blackburn (Westmoreland, Independent); June Player (Westmoreland, Independent); Alan Hale (Keynsham South, Independent); Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent); Tim Warren (Midsomer Norton Redfield; Conservative); Sarah Evans (Midsomer Norton Redfield, Conservative); Joanna Wright (Lambridge, Green); Sam Ross (Farmborough, Green; and Saskia Heijltjes (Lambridge, Green).
Addressing Tuesday’s meeting, Councillor Blackburn, who has spoken with many concerned businesses, asked why cabinet members no longer bring proposals to scrutiny.
He said: “Scrutiny by last resort is not an effective way to come up with positive actions.”
He said the decision was about the visual appeal of central Bath but “we cannot be picture perfect all of the time”.
He suggested labelling and compulsory use of food waste containers to help tackle the problem of gulls be introduced, but not the collection time change; instead, the council should work with local businesses to make things better “because they want that too”.
Charlie Dalton-Ball, who manages jewellers S.P. Green & Co Ltd in Green Street, told the meeting: “Under the new policy, waste must be collected before 10am or after 6pm. On paper this may seem achievable but in reality, it is entirely unworkable for many businesses, including ours.
“Our business is staffed from 10am to 5.30pm which means there is now no legal window for us to place out our waste while the business is staffed.”
Charlie Dalton-Ball, manager at S. P. Green & Co | Photo © John Wimperis
He continued: “If businesses are required to change staff working hours to comply with this policy, contracts will need to be amended. Staff are under no legal obligation to accept a change to their contracted hours.”
He said the figure of £3,000 doesn’t include the need for two staff at all times as required by insurance, which doubles forecasted costs, or of staff earning more than £12.21 per hour, National Insurance, pension contributions and other employer costs, along with increased utility bills for longer staffed hours.
He said the consultation also overlooked the impact of extra expenses for employees, such as childcare and parking, adding: “Many of our staff commute from outside Bath and rely on public transport which does not always run at suitable times.”
He called the 12-month trial “excessively long” and added: “Bath is a living, working city, not a film set. It is entirely reasonable to expect business waste to be presented on the city centre streets.”
Panel chair Councillor Andy Wait (Keynsham East, Liberal Democrat) asked why only one business owner had turned up to which Councillor Blackburn responded: “They are working.”
Defending his decision, Councillor Elliott (Lansdown) said the aim of the changes is cleaner and safer streets and the new collection time corresponds with the 6pm opening of the security barriers so there won’t be lorries queuing.
Although 93% of businesses did not support the proposed collection time change, he called the consultation response rate “very low”.
“There does not seem to me to be a large groundswell of opinion against the change and certainly not a strong majority of businesses.”
Councillor Elliott said residents regularly raise issues of unsightliness and seagulls and the new measures are designed to try to solve that problem. He considered his decision “reasonable, considered and careful” and clarified that he’d only recently taken over the portfolio.
He also gave an assurance that the council would support any business struggling to cope.
Councillor Deborah Collins (Widcombe & Lyncombe, Liberal Democrat) was confused by the report which she said appeared to be based on a decision that wasn’t actually taken, as initially a two-hour, rather than a two-and-a-half-hour collection window, was proposed.
Councillor Elliott agreed that the report did not reflect the fact that he had listened to what was said during the consultation period and had changed the position: “I apologise for that. I think the report could be clearer.”
Panel member Councillor Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent), who signed the call-in, said the council was treating those that responded as “insignificant” but 87 was a lot of businesses.
Five of the six Liberal Democrat panel members voted for the call-in to be dismissed (Walcot councillor John Leach abstained).
Councillor Hughes and Green councillor Joanna Wright voted against the dismissal. Councillor Wright had also highlighted the effect on waste contractors, including the council’s own fleet, having to drive to Bristol or Wiltshire to weigh and tip waste late into the evening.
