Cllr Roger Rigby has criticised a report on fortnightly bin collections which glossed over the problems experienced by the scheme when it was introduced in November 2016.
The report, presented to members of the Council’s Environment & Sustainable Communities Committee last week, failed to cover the issues of missed bin collections as well as staff sickness and vacancies.
Cllr Rigby said:
‘If this report is to be believed, fortnightly bin collections have delivered us to the land of milk and honey. While increased recycling rates and savings are to be welcomed, it was clear that the scheme’s more negative aspects were buried.
‘The report failed even to touch on the chaos that was unleashed through the rushed implementation of the scheme last November which saw bin collections missed again and again for weeks on end. Nor did it mention at all a predicted overspend this year of £128k due to the use of agency workers to cover staff sickness and vacancies which was disclosed in a separate financial paper last month.
‘The omission of these matters gives rise to the verdict that the Committee was prevented from properly undertaking its role as a check on Executive power. It is the latest example of the Liberal Democrat and Labour administration’s contempt for any scrutiny of its actions.’