Agenda item

REPORT OF THE SHARED SERVICE MANAGER

A report on the Waste Shared Service - Client team and Corporate Support Arrangements.

RESOLVED: That the draft timeline for transition for customer service provision outlined at 8.7 in the report was noted.

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET:

(1)   That each Council leads on their own customer service provision with one set of processes for customer interactions being developed and agreed with a focus on resolution at the first point of contact.

(2)   That Cabinet agrees, the proposed updates and changes to financial management and governance arrangements and subsequent necessary changes to the Inter Authority Agreement outlined in Section 8.

(3)   That Cabinet agrees to the updated waste service policy statements contained in Appendix 2 to come into force from May 2025.

REASONS FOR REFFERAL: To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the shared waste service.

Audio recording 1 hour 17 minutes 39 seconds

Councillor Amy Allen presented the report entitled ‘Waste Shared Service: Client Team and Corporate Support Arrangements’ highlighting:

·       That this report related to the support and governance for the new waste, recycling and street cleansing contract.

·       This new contract would allow residents to get a consistent service across East and North Herts.

·       Each Council would lead their own Customer Services team.

·       North Herts would lead on expenditure management on behalf of both Councils, although each Council will remain in charge of their own income management.

·       The new service would come into effect in 2025.

·       As previously agreed at Cabinet, the Customer Services team will be managed by the in-house corporate team at each Council.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Clare Billing

·       Councillor Ralph Muncer

·       Councillor David Levett

In response to questions Councillor Allen stated that:

·       The contract would go live in May 2025.

·       Bin collections were moved to 6.30am and this was normal across other authorities to account for hotter weather.

·       Bigger bins will need to be replaced at the expense of the resident or Urbaser, depending on cause.

·       Food caddies and blue paper boxes were free to replace and could be requested online by residents and therefore are not referenced this is document.

In response to question the Shared Waste Service Managerstated that:

·       East Herts had considered, commented on, and agreed the recommendations at their Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the waste agreement.

·       The transition to a new payment system with online integration was a big project, and consideration had been given to Plan B scenarios but believed there is enough time to get the resources in place for a seamless transition.

·       There would not be a joint waste committee, but the partnership would continue, with the only minor change being that the Executive Member for Finance would be invited to relevant meetings.

·       The legal implications were included on the Cabinet version of the report and confirmed how the governance arrangements would work alongside the Council Constitution.

·       Within the Street Cleansing Policy, rural areas referred to did not mean the villages, but rather rural roads where road closures may be required or where it could be incorporated into already existing schedules.

·       The 3-14 days stated did not mean that it would take 14 days for action, and it was normal for action to be taken before the 14-days.

Councillor Nigel Mason proposed, and Councillor Dominic Griffiths seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That the draft timeline for transition for customer service provision outlined at 8.7 in the report was noted.

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET:

(1)   That each Council leads on their own customer service provision with one set of processes for customer interactions being developed and agreed with a focus on resolution at the first point of contact.

(2)   That Cabinet agrees, the proposed updates and changes to financial management and governance arrangements and subsequent necessary changes to the Inter Authority Agreement outlined in Section 8.

(3)   That Cabinet agrees to the updated waste service policy statements contained in Appendix 2 to come into force from May 2025.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS: To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the shared waste service.