Opposition councillors have been surprised to discover Brighton and Hove’s refuse and recycling service has a new name.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s in-house refuse and recycling collection service was previously called Cityclean and referred to as such by opposition councillors in their questions to the council’s cabinet last Thursday (15 May).
But there was no mention of Cityclean in council papers, just environmental services.
The council said that the renaming happened last month without publicity.
Labour councillor Tim Rowkins, the council’s cabinet member for net zero and environmental services, said: “We decided to rebrand Cityclean as environmental services because the feedback we often received was that residents thought Cityclean was separate from the council and a contractor, rather than one of our council services.
“This change was part of a recent organisational restructure, making it clearer that environmental services, including our bin collections, are delivered in-house by council employees.
“As we continue to modernise this area of the council, it felt a good time to make this change and is part of culture change objectives of ensuring our environmental services colleagues are recognised as an important part of the one council team.
“As all our collection lorries, uniforms and equipment are already branded to Brighton and Hove City Council, there won’t be any cost associated with the name change.”
Cityclean has proved a controversial service fraught with claims of violence and sabotage.
In the first quarter of this year, missed collections more than doubled
Conservative group leader Alistair McNair said: “The name ‘Cityclean’ raised the hope of a clean city – quite simple and memorable.
“But it glaringly pointed out every time the service was mentioned how the city wasn’t clean.
“This new name, environmental services – leaked out quietly – is much more vague and somehow lacks the explicit ‘ambition’ of getting the bins collected.
“There is a reference to service, though, so let’s hope that this new name heralds a step-change in how regularly and systematically our rubbish and recycling is collected.”
It’s all getting a bit farcical now.
The bin service is in free fall and the Labour council change the name from one they simply can’t live up to to a generic one to deflect from their failure.
Let’s hope the change won’t cost residents anything – City Clean is on all their logos on vehicles etc – it would not be OK for them to spend a single penny on rebranding things given the millions wasted because of service dysfunction over the years already.
Did anyone really believe the rubbish and recycling service was being provided by an external professional organisation that had clearly defined service levels, made penalty payments when these were not met, and had been open to tender to provide the most cost effective supplier for our council tax?
I’m sure the rebranding will resolve all the problems with council run collection services 😏
When the waking watch was originally installed in some of the high rises, the prevailing narrative in the area was that a gun-wielding criminal was hiding out as part of a hostage situation. To me, it is a reminder not to underestimate how unaware people can be. So, in answer to your question, Bert, yeah, absolutely they did.
Maybe they could get the new owners of the I360 to sponsor the name change, with the £51,000,00 they were effectively bequeathed from the ever generous council
CitySabotage?
They should have put it out to the residents in a rebranding competition.
54 Councillors in Brighton & Hove and the first I learned of the change of name – is here. I can understand why Labour have made no announcements given Cllr Bella Sankey’s dispute with ‘Cityclean’, but not to tell the public, residents & even councillors is duplicitous – but then so much about this administration is done behind closed doors within the cabinet. Even half the Labour Councillors don’t know what’s going on 🤦
Rebranding a service like Cityclean doesn’t need a public consultation or vote, but the administration would’ve been wiser to brief all councillors and staff ahead of the change, especially given the public interest in how Cityclean operates. That said, let’s not pretend every internal decision is a cover-up. A bit more clarity, a bit less drama, would probably serve everyone better.
To be fair City Clean is a bit misleading, City Chiters would be more appropriate.
Well, if the bins in elm Grove or anything to go by God help us every other week if they’re lucky and my bin was emptied on Friday and disappeared ask Dustin where it was don’t know didn’t even care care or bothered to come out of them look for it so now waiting on a green bin Absolutely disgraceful like the Brighton racecourse push through behind peoples backs no planning permission for the racecourse but they still went ahead and done it well done Tim
GMB Mafia ( Brighton ) Inc
Scanty evidence of death threats or sabotage and the only bullying on show is by incompetent managers and posturing politicians.
The disappearing bins is a big question! I live in st George’s mews and there used to be five bins in our street( 2 recycling ones). That was quietly abandoned because restaurants / pubs kept dumping bottles in the recycling,meaning the entire bin couldn’t be recycled! The bins have now dropped to ONE, constantly full. Great for seagulls to rip open the refuse sacks! The mess is indescribable!the council can’t afford regular bin collections…so they are very random!