Issue - meetings

1.    That it be agreed to procure, through Biffa, nine 12 tonne food waste vehicles, to operate on Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil, at an estimated cost of up to £1.34m to be funded by the New Burdens capital grant.

2.    That it be agreed to provide through the contract with Biffa an electric refuse collection vehicle for the new route to be introduced in Autumn 2024.

3.    That the annual revenue cost of £36k to cover the cost of the electric Refuse Collection Vehicle be agreed, to be funded by an existing waste budget.

4.    That, subject to the introduction of an electric Refuse Collection Vehicle to the waste fleet, the use of up to £30k from this project’s approved capital allocation to fund infrastructure requirements at the Council’s depot to enable charging of the electric Refuse Collection Vehicle be agreed.

In the absence of Councillor Learney, Councillor Tod introduced the report which contained proposals relating to the introduction of new kerbside food waste collection and the requirement to purchase new collection vehicles to enable this.  It also recommended the purchase of a new electric Refuse Collection Vehicle to the waste fleet.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Wallace, Horrill and Lee addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below.

Councillor Wallace

Speaking in a personal capacity (and not as vice-chairperson of Scrutiny Committee), he welcomed the report but emphasised that Scrutiny Committee had received a presentation on this issue which lacked the level of detail contained in the report to Cabinet.  He queried why the budget level requested was different to that agreed at Council in February 2024.  He asked about the potential impact of loss of rental income from Barfield depot and the final resale value of the vehicles purchased.  Finally, he welcomed the trial of the electric vehicle but requested clarification of the budget to be used and additional financial justification for the expenditure.

Councillor Horrill

She supported the development of the waste and recycling services provided and welcomed the additional detail provided in the report which had not been available at the Scrutiny Committee.  She asked a number of questions: the rationale for the recommended method for purchasing the new collection vehicles; the analysis of the additional costs involved if smaller vehicles were used; further explanation of the annual cost to operate the trial electric vehicle (EV) and the intended gains from the trial; whether a final decision on the type of vehicle to be purchased had been made; and had any risks associated with the financial robustness of Biffa been assessed.

Councillor Lee

He supported the comments made by Councillor Wallace in relation to the Scrutiny Committee and welcomed the future improvements to waste and recycling.  He raised a number of queries: whether the experience of other local authorities using EV for waste collections, such as Basildon Borough Council, been examined; had the potential future impact of extended producer responsibility been considered; reiterated his previous concerns about the wider environmental impact of the use of Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and the possible cost saving opportunities of bulk purchasing HVO; requested assurance of the council’s commitment to the future use of EV collection.

Councillor Tod thanked councillors for their comments and questions which were responded to at the meeting by himself, the Strategic Director, the Chief Finance Officer, the Head of Programme – Place and the Service Lead – Environmental Services.

Councillor Tod also referred to the matters raised by Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 6 June 2024 as set out in Appendix B to the report, together with the recommendation to Cabinet from that Committee.  The Head of Programme – Place and the Service Lead – Environmental Services responded to the comments made regarding ensuring effective communication and the requirement for an education programme, including confirming that a new Communications Officer had been employed to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7

RECOMMENDATION

The Chair of the Scrutiny Committee has requested that the Cabinet Member and officers attend the meeting to provide an overview of progress and proposals prior to the Cabinet meeting on the 19th of June 2024 (Presentation to be provided at the meeting). The Scrutiny Committee are asked to provide any comments on the proposals.

Simon Hendey, Strategic Director & Councillor Learney, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency introduced the agenda item regarding Procurement of Waste & Recycling Collection Vehicles. 

Simon Hendey advised of the urgent and critical nature of this agenda item which required a decision by Cabinet during  the pre-election period and outlined the primary reasons for this urgency as follows:

1. In February 2024, the Cabinet considered a report regarding the introduction of a food waste service and officers were tasked with progressing the implementation of this service, emphasising the pursuit of the lowest carbon viable option. This included specifically focusing on the procurement of vehicles necessary to support the new service.
2. The government had set a deadline of April 2026 for the implementation of the food waste service. Therefore, timely procurement of the necessary vehicles was essential to meet this deadline. A decision was required to facilitate the procurement process, thus the need for this report to be presented to the Cabinet on 19 June 2024

Councillor Learney, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency updated the committee on the following points:

1. The administration aimed to expand the range of materials recyclable at the kerbside in a financially prudent and practical way.
2. The council was in a favourable position compared to other councils to provide a food waste service by the end of March 2026.
3. Extensive consultations on the waste strategy had been conducted, receiving responses from thousands of residents.
4. Collaboration with experts was undertaken to carry out technical studies and research, alongside budget allocation for the project.
5. Emphasis was placed on avoiding delays in the procurement process to prevent falling behind other councils in ordering new vehicles.
6. Detailed planning for the service rollout, including addressing issues such as servicing flats and difficult-to-reach areas, would take place in the autumn.
7. The current focus was on procuring vehicles, and input from the scrutiny committee was welcomed before the final decision by the Cabinet.

Campbell Williams, Service Lead - Environmental Services provided the committee with a detailed presentation, which discussed several matters including the previously confirmed decisions to date, the key elements of a food waste service, an overview of the modelling that supports the procurement decision of vehicle choice and costs, implications of current and future depot infrastructure requirements, the proposed introduction of an electric refuse collection vehicle (RCV), the next steps with respect to food waste collection and the journey to zero avoidable waste. (A copy of these slides are available here)

Councillor Caroline Horrill addressed the committee and highlighted the following points:

1. She sought clarification on the following: