Agenda item

(To provide an opportunity for Partners to update the Partnership on any issues which may be of interest)

Each Partner authority was provided with the opportunity to update the rest of the Partnership on any developments or updates which may be of interest to the Partnership.

Partners expressed their thanks to the previous Chairman, Eddy Poll, for all of his work over the last four years, and the significant progress which had been made on behalf of the Partnership during this time.  The Partnership also thanked Councillor Gambba-Jones for his work as Vice-Chairman over the last four years.

The following was noted:

South Holland District Council

It was reported that the key issues for South Holland District Council, which was likely to be reflected in other districts, and nationally, were the challenges being experienced around Class 2 drivers, and the work to ensure that rounds were maintained.  This had had an impact on the service as a whole as it had required people to be taken away from supervisory roles to drive the collection vehicles.  This was concerning as it could mean that effective management would not be able to be carried out as time progressed, and this could impact on the delivery of the service.  There was need for a more long term view on how to 'grow our own' but it took time to be able to train new drivers.  There was a need to acknowledge this challenge and be prepared to deal with the public response in the short term.

South Kesteven District Council

It was reported that the district was fortunate to have acquired a new site for a depot, as space was running out at the Alexander Road site.

The comments and concerns regarding availability of drivers were echoed, and it was expected that a large amount of wage inflation would be seen in this sector in the coming years.  It was noted that whilst availability of drivers was the acute issue at the moment, availability of mechanics was a similar area of concern.

East Lindsey District Council

Further to the comments regarding drivers, it was noted that East Lindsey used bring sites for its glass collection, which were serviced by Glass Recycling UK, who had also experienced issues with recruitment of drivers.  With the increased volume of glass that has been going to these sites, it had been a struggle to meet demand.  Things were starting to return to normal, and it was believed that they had been able to recruit some new drivers.

Since the last meeting, the district had successfully introduced a maintenance workshop, and commercial opportunities were being explored, as well as the possibility of introducing mechanical apprenticeships. 

It was queried whether other districts were seeing an increase in bulky items, such as fridge freezers, washing machines etc. as extra resources had been required to deal with increase in East Lindsey.  South Holland reported that they had seen requests for collection of bulky items double, and it was commented that this could be in response to the changes at Household Waste Recycling Centre.  It was also noted that South Holland was starting to see a decrease in fly tipping.

North Kesteven District Council

In relation to fly tipping, and the work of the Environmental Crime Partnership, it was reported that a letter had been received from the Chairman of Waste Away, which was part of the Herefordshire Waste Partnership, who wanted to write to the Sentencing Council requesting it to review the sentencing guidelines relating to fly tipping offences.  It was suggested that this letter should be shared with Partners and members could feed back to the Chairman whether the LWP would like to be included in this. 

Lincolnshire County Council

It was confirmed that Rachel Stamp, who was the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership Manager, had now joined Lincolnshire County Council as the Waste Partnerships and Project Manager.

In relation to the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC), officers were aware that there were a lot of discussions around the booking system and how it operated.  Consideration was being given to whether to remove the booking system and revert back to the previous system of uncontrolled access, and this would be going to the Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee on 13 July 2021 prior to a decision being made by the Executive Councillor.

It was also reported that Anaerobic Digestion and food waste disposal was something which was starting to be explored, which would reflect the changes from government consultations.  It was also noted that the paper and card collections had commenced, and would be widened out to other districts later in the year.

The relaxation of restrictions at HWRC's was discussed and it was commented that whilst there were benefits to removing the booking system, it was be better if there was still control around access to the sites, as the unregulated 'man with a van' using HWRC's was part of a bigger issue.  Partners were advised that it was hoped to retain to permit system for vans.  Concerns were also raised regarding the potential for traffic management issues on the A16 near the Spalding HWRC.  One member noted that they had received positive feedback from residents about the booking system as it had reduced queuing through the site.

West Lindsey District Council

In relation to cross border HWRC usage, around North and North East Lincolnshire border areas specifically, it was noted that this was something the authority would welcome being explored again.

It was also reported that the new depot was on time and on budget, and it was expected that it would be opening in November 2021.

Staff had managed to carry out a pilot on the bypass and A46 in relation to litter picking on high speed roads.   Officers thanked LCC highways teams for their support with this.  There had been positive feedback from residents.