Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Email: comsec@teignbridge.gov.uk  Email: comsec@teignbridge.gov.uk

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Items
No. Item

12.

Minutes 22 September 2020 pdf icon PDF 308 KB

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting held on 22 September were confirmed as a correct record and would be signed at the earliest convenient time.

 

It was noted that additional information requested had been provided to Members. 

13.

Declaration of Interest

Minutes:

The following Members advised that they represented wards that currently had skips provided by the Council, and which was the subject of Minute 16 below: Councillors Clarance, Patch, H Cox, Gribble, and Nutley.

 

Councillor Mallone declared an interest in Minute 16 below on the grounds that he had a licence which enabled him to dispose of waste. Councillor Mullone did not vote on this matter.

14.

Public Questions

Minutes:

None.

15.

Councillor Questions

Minutes:

None.

16.

Call-in Rural Skip Service pdf icon PDF 221 KB

Councillor H Cox has called-in the Executive decision of 6 October regarding the rural skip service.  The reason for the call-in is “I believe there needs to be an opportunity for affected towns and parishes to have their say on the matter and further questioning and debate to take place.”

 

The call in is supported by Councillors Clarance, Gribble, Hocking, Nutley and Patch.

 

The decision of the Executive is below and the Executive report is attached

 

55. RURAL SKIP SERVICE

 

Executive Member for Recycling, Household Waste and Environmental Health presented the report to consider the future provision of the rural skip service. He commented that it was with a heavy heart that the Council would have to cease this non-statutory service which it had taken in when the County Council withdrew its support. The Council needed to look at savings to bridge the budget shortfall as a result of the COVID pandemic. Members attention was brought to alternative options available to residents which included the councils own bulky waste collection and charities in the district that collect and recycle goods.

The Leader brought Members attention to a letter, which had been circulated to Executive from Ipplepen Parish Council raising concerns regarding the cessation of this service. Members discussed the costs of the service and the possibility of Towns and Parishes taking on the service either individually or jointly. The Waste and Cleansing Manager clarified that the average cost of a skip was £1800 plus disposal costs and the council would share its information with regards to risk assessments for this work to assist the Town and Parishes if they wish to make their own arrangements.

 

RESOLVED that:-

(1) The discontinue the service be agreed and necessary arrangements with the existing contractor for early contract termination be made; and

(2) Support be provided to the Town & Parish Councils impacted to assist them with their own arrangements where requested.

 

Councillor Purser abstained from voting.

 

 

 

Minutes:

Councillor Mallone declared an interest in Minute 16 below on the grounds that he had a licence which enabled him to dispose of waste. Councillor Mullone did not vote on this matter.

 

The Chair advised he had called-in the Executive decision of 6 October, 2020 regarding the rural skip service because he believed there should be an

opportunity for affected towns and parishes to have their say on the matter and further questioning and debate to take place. The call in was supported by Councillors Clarance, Gribble, Hocking, Nutley and Patch.

 

The decision of Executive was that the non statutory service be discontinued and necessary arrangements be made with the existing contractor for early contract termination; and that support be provided to the town and parish councils impacted to assist them with their own arrangements where requested.

 

In support of his call-in the Chair acknowledged that the service could not continue in its current form due to budget constraints. However town and parish councils had various options to enable a service to continue, and the Council should delay the cessation of the service and engage with them to explain and explore the options.

 

During debate issues raised by committee members included: there should be a 12 month transitional period before withdrawing the service; increased fly-tipping would result; the service benefitted only a few parishes and towns but was being provided for by all Teignbridge tax payers; Teignbridge was the only District in Devon which provided such as service; and the service should continue until the service expires in 2022.

 

In response the Executive Member for Recycling, Household Waste and Environmental Health advised that: difficult decisions were required in relation to the budget; the service had not been provided since the start of Covid lockdown in March 2020; there had been no overall consequential increase in fly-tipping, and fly-tipping had decreased over recent years; free bulky waste collection provided by charities was available to residents;  a number of parish councils had objected and Teignbridge would assist and facilitate those wishing to continue the service to do so; continuing the service until 2022 was not viable and not an option because continuing with the service would result in another service being cut in order to fund the rural skips; statutory services and other valuable services such as opening public toilets were continuing.

 

The Waste and Cleansing Manager advised that the cost of the rural skip service contract was approximately £51,000, and approximately £9,000 for disposal of the waste.

 

The Leader of the Council added that parish and town councils had until January 2021 to submit their precept requests, in which time they could identify means to continue the service, and work together to potentially reduce costs.

 

It was proposed and seconded that the Executive reconsider the timing with a view to delaying for 12 months to enable parish and town councils to arrange the continuation of the service.

 

An amendment was proposed and seconded that financial information be provided to affected  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.