Questions asked over cost of bin waste collection day changes

How much has it cost Powys County Council to inform residents that there are changes being made to when their recycling and rubbish will be collected, a senior councillor has asked.

From next month for many residents – but not all – bin and recycling box collections will be changing as the council introduces “new and improved collection routes.”

The move is supposed to make the way recycling and rubbish is collected more “efficient.”

But to explain the changes the council has had to send letters out to all the household in Powys to explain the point of the move and any collection date changes ahead of it’s implementation on Monday, March 2.

Powys Independents joint group leader Cllr Beverley Baynham (Presteigne) has asked a number of questions about the changes .

Cllr Baynham said: “Following the recent announcement of the reorganisation of refuse and recycling collection rounds, can the portfolio holder please provide the following information.

She asks how much it has cost to contact every household in Powys including the cost of the postage and printing all the information included in the pack.

Cllr Baynham asks where funding for this has come from?

Cllr Baynham wants to know how much money the new routes will save the council and asks for the predicted “breakdown of cost versus savings information” that was used when the decision for this route reorganisation was taken.

A council spokesman said: “A formal response from the cabinet member will be issued and published within 10 working days.

“This is part of the process of questions at any time to cabinet portfolio Holders.”

This means that an answer should be provided by February 27.

When the changes were revealed earlier this month,Cabinet member for Highways Transport and Recycling, Cllr Jackie Charlton (Liberal Democrat – Llangattock and Llangynidr) said: when said:  “Collecting waste and weekly recycling from over 69,000 properties across 2,000 square miles is challenging.

“We consider many things when reviewing or creating new collection routes, including where new homes are being built, changes made to roads, new or upgraded vehicles, changes to environmental laws, pressure on the council’s budget, and how our service affects carbon emissions.

“By taking all this into account and using specialist route optimisation software and the experience of our operational teams, the rounds have been made more efficient.”

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporting Service