The bin strike might be over but the rubbish has been piling up at a block of flats in Hove over the past four weeks after a run of missed collections.
People at Devonshire Court, in The Drive, Hove, spelt out their frustration, having previously endured a month without collections when Cityclean workers went on strike just a few months back.
Residents had hoped that, after Brighton and Hove City Council and the GMB union settled their dispute, their bins would no longer be overflowing.
But despite regular reminders, the rubbish has since started piling up again.
In October, residents dumped rubbish bags in the foyer of Hove Town Hall, addressed to their Goldsmid ward councillors.
Devonshire Court resident Ivor Southwood said that he was frustrated by the repeated excuse that the wrong-sized vehicle was heading to the area.
He said: “I already had to remind them once recently and now they’ve missed at least the last two Thursdays.
“(I’m) not sure exactly when the last collection was as ever since the strike they’ve turned up on various unscheduled days, sometimes only when prompted by emails. I’d say it’s been about three weeks so far this time.
“The result is some of the local population (those living in houses, usually homeowners) are getting a service, but others (in flats, often renting) are not.”
After three weeks of waiting, Mr Southwood said that a crew emptied the bins on Tuesday afternoon (14 December) which he attributed to inquires by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Again, the problem was blamed on the lack of the “right-sized” vehicle.
Labour councillor John Allcock, who represents Goldsmid ward, plans to ask a formal question at the first full council meeting in the new year if there is no resolution before then.
He said: “I, along with other ward councillors, have been representing residents’ concerns to Cityclean and asked them to resolve this situation that is becoming increasingly unacceptable. I’ve got over 40 emails in my files on this matter.”
The council said: “We would like to apologise to the residents of Devonshire Court for the rubbish collections we have missed.
“We are looking at how we might restructure our operations in the area around Devonshire Court to try to improve things.”
Thanks for this article Frank and it is very timely indeed.
Sadly it is not Devonshire Court alone, but nearly all blocks in The Drive area. Every excuse from City Clean, always an apology but nothing happens.
I must say I like the proactive approach of taking rubbish to the council well done to the residents for that.
Maybe that could be done from every block.
I know so many who keep asking maybe City Clean didn’t get their OTT wage increase yet? City Clean is clearly not fit for purpose.
So sad that councillors love to be quoted in the press but do nothing.
Greens and Labour are just the same and do nothing for residents.
Same experience in the Roundhill area. Last two weekly domestic collections were missed and the one before that came a day early which caught a lot of people out. The idea that things would improve after the strike is laughable. City Clean are shambolic and need to be replaced by a competent contractor that provides the service they’re paid for.
Thank you Sarah for this article. It is interesting if unsurprising to read comments that other blocks are having the same problems. Just to clarify, there were already no collections at Devonshire Court for a month BEFORE the strike, so the strike had little effect on us LOL. Personally I absolutely supported the strike and I don’t believe refuse collection should be outsourced to a private contractor. As I see it the problem is that the Council is more concerned with appearances and satisfying middle-class households than providing a decent service for everyone, and CityClean is apparently overrun with overpaid senior managers who don’t respect their workforce. If CityClean is not being given enough resources to provide a basic service, Councillors should be upfront with residents about this, rather than hide behind excuses and political bickering.
The low paid cleaners at the bottom of the ladder control the state of the streets – call it irony but the taxpayers are being held over the dustbins of Brighton!