Councillors demand council tax refund over East Suffolk bin 'chaos', but amendment looms

Why it matters: The call comes as East Suffolk Council's rollout of the Government's Simpler Recycling initiative, branded locally as Better Recycling, continues to face sustained criticism over missed collections and poor communication.

The details: In a motion to be discussed at next week's full council meeting, councillors are asking the authority to consider a 0.2% rebate of its share of Council Tax – equivalent to about £382,000 at current levels.

• The motion is being presented by Cllr Mark Jepson.
• It follows the rollout of new bins, new waste vehicles and new collection schedules under the Simpler Recycling initiative, which councils across the country have struggled to implement.
• East Suffolk Council served a notice of breach of contract in July on East Suffolk Services Limited (ESSL), the council's own arm's length company responsible for waste services.

Pressure mounts on East Suffolk Council leader to resign over ‘neglectful’ recycling ‘fiasco’

Calls are growing for Caroline Topping, the Green leader of East Suffolk Council, to resign over the troubled Better Recycling rollout, as questions are raised (and answered) over whether better performance figures reflect a genuine improvement or a change in how they are counted.

Ipswich.co.ukOliver Rouane-Williams

What they're saying: Cllr Jepson said: "The roll-out has been plagued with operational and performance issues which has eroded our residents' trust in the council and its administration.

"The strength of feeling regarding the poor execution of this rollout must not be trivialised."

Cllr Peter Byatt, who is supporting the calls, said: "A significant number of residents have given up on putting the food waste bins out and we have been disappointed with the response from the administration.

"The rollout needs a full review, and we need to make sure that all the mistakes [the administration] made are addressed."

The authority's coalition administration has apologised for the quality of service it has provided and the disruption caused.

The other side: Ipswich.co.uk understands that independent councillor for Kelsale & Yoxford, Julia Ewart, backed by Cllr Amanda Folley, is set to table an amendment to the motion that would scrap the Council Tax discount altogether.

Instead, the amendment would require the council's Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer to give Full Council a full breakdown of the additional costs caused by the Better Recycling rollout and its clean-up – covering extra vehicles and bins, protective equipment, consultancy fees, additional staffing, and the cost of missed collections and emergency call-outs.

Cabinet would also be required to set up a "Resident Service-Recovery Scheme" to compensate residents who can show they have incurred reasonable additional costs because of documented failures in the service, with eligibility details to be reported back to Full Council.

The amendment, exclusively seen by this publication, states it would replace the rebate "with a requirement for immediate financial transparency and a targeted resident service-recovery mechanism."

For context: The Better Recycling rollout has faced repeated scrutiny since launch. Deputy leader Cllr Paul Ashton gave councillors a lengthy apology in July, confirming the council had hired an outside troubleshooter to help recover the service, while leader Cllr Caroline Topping has faced calls from some councillors to resign over her handling of the troubled rollout.

What's next: Councillors will debate the Council Tax discount motion – and Cllr Ewart's amendment to it – at next week's full council meeting.

The bottom line: With opposition councillors now split between a direct Council Tax discount and a rival call for financial transparency and a resident redress scheme, the row over East Suffolk's bin rollout continues to put pressure on an administration already facing questions over its leadership.

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