Stress of botched recycling roll-out ‘absolutely dreadful’

Richard Evans, local democracy reporter

Councillors had endured “absolutely dreadful” stress from the botched roll-out of a recycling scheme.

Denbighshire Council’s performance scrutiny committee chairman, councillor Hugh Irving, made the observation as a 12-month inquiry into the roll-out was rubber stamped.

The launch of the “Trolibocs” recycling scheme last June was beset with reports of missed collections and claims of rubbish piling up in the streets of Denbighshire.

As a result, both the council’s leader Cllr Jason McLellan and chief executive Graham Boase were forced to apologise.

But eight months on, despite more finances being invested into the scheme and revised collection routes, the council is still receiving complaints of missed bin and recycling collections.

Review

At a meeting in Ruthin yesterday, the committee agreed a year-long review that will see the failings examined, with councillors called to give evidence.

Councillors agreed to “formally establish a mechanism for undertaking a review into the planning, implementation, and roll-out of the new waste and recycling service”.

Council officer Catrin Roberts said the committee must also agree to receive the findings of the 12-month review upon its completion.

But after reminding other councillors they were present to discuss the review, not the botched recycling roll-out, chairman of the committee, Cllr Hugh Irving took aim at the press and its coverage of the issue.

Cllr Irving said: “We are not debating or scrutinising the waste service. This is about the inquiry, if you like, for want of a better word, and it has been rather luridly portrayed in the press, I rather think.”

Emotive

He then said the bin and recycling problems hadn’t been easy for councillors: “This has been such an emotive issue. It has been absolutely dreadful. I don’t know If I speak for other members, but it has really been quite stressful, really, for members.”

Cllr Irving went on to say it was important that a report be ready by the end of the year: “I think my own perspective is we just want this group setting up ASAP. We don’t want any slippage. We’ve got a time-scale.”

Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts said it was only right that current and former cabinet members were “held to account” for their actions in relation to the roll-out.

Cllr Gareth Sandilands said he would like to see the review conducted more quickly than the 12-month time-frame allowed.

Cllr Bobby Feeley said she wanted to make sure timelines were clearly mapped: “The process needs to be not only firm but fair and pretty fast as well.”

Cllr Sandilands proposed councillors moved the recommendation, this was seconded by Cllr Feeley, and the committee unanimously backed the report.