Three councillors have criticised plans to bring in communal bins along a steep-sided narrow road used by buses in their ward in Brighton.
The ward councillors also plan to call a public meeting as Brighton and Hove City Council officials push ahead with a proposal that they say is driven by health and safety concerns.
Councillors Ty Goddard, Amanda Evans and Jacob Taylor issued a statement in the past week as residents accused the council of going ahead with the proposal, which had been paused, even though a complaint was with the local government ombudsman.
The council plans to site two 1,100-litre rubbish bins in Auckland Drive, Bevendean, and two mixed recycling bins the same size – to be emptied several times a week.
One or two 240-litre glass recycling bins would also be placed in the road – which is on the 48 bus route – to be emptied fortnightly along with a food waste bin.
The Labour councillors’ statement said: “From the beginning of this process, we have let the (council) know how residents feel about the proposed change.
“We opposed communal bins in Auckland Drive and continue to do so.
“It has been made clear to us that this is an officer decision, based on their view of their legal and health and safety responsibilities as an employer. It is an operational decision driven by officers, not a policy one.
“Our Labour team are community champions, working hard with residents to improve our area – from the 48 bus (to) parking issues outside Bevendean Primary School and vans at The Avenue entrance.
“Our regular surgeries and casework over the last three years are there to support residents as well.
“And we will continue to support residents on this proposal – including bringing officers to a public meeting where all voices, including older and vulnerable residents, can be heard.”
A website for residents, called Auckland Drive BinGate, said that “expert safety warnings” had been played down.
The website said: “The council’s own highways team warned that placing large bins in the live carriageway could create ‘hazards’ and ‘obstructions’ including the risk of the road being blocked and poor night‑time visibility.”
It said that, despite this, the council’s environmental services team continued to favour communal bins, replacing 96 individual household bins.
And while the council identified health and safety risks affecting staff at the moment, the BinGate campaigners called for a solution that was safe for everyone including residents, pedestrians and bus passengers.
There have also been suggestions that the council may have exaggerated the health and safety argument, with just two minor incidents recorded in 10 years. The detail emerged in a response to a freedom of information (FoI) request.
The council had also proposed phasing out assisted collections for residents who needed help but officials have since said that those who need an assisted collection “will be provided with one”.
The decision to bring in communal bins in Auckland Drive was, according to a timeline on the BinGate website, taken in secret in August last year after a health and safety audit almost a year earlier.
Under the council’s cabinet system, only “key” decisions are now made in public – those that involve a proposal to spend or save £1 million or more or decisions that are likely to be significant in two or more electoral wards.
Previously, many more decisions were discussed in public and taken by committees of councillors, giving residents the chance to have their say beforehand.
Auckland Drive resident Dominic Leslie said: “Residents should not have to accept a street that looks like a dumping ground because a service that has operated for years suddenly becomes too inconvenient to provide.
“Communal bins invite fly-tipping, reduce already scarce parking and shift the burden of doing the bin crews’ job on to local people.”
Bevendean resident Kendrick Tugwell criticised the council for going ahead with its proposal while the community was awaiting a decision from the ombudsman.
Mr Tugwell said: “We’re not against bins. We’re against unsafe and unfair decisions.
“Communal bins in the road might be convenient for the council but they could block traffic, take away precious parking and make life harder for older and disabled neighbours.”
The council said: “We are planning to introduce communal bins in Auckland Drive. This is an operational decision as part of our ongoing work to address collection rates and health and safety in the area.
“The proposals were recently revisited but plans have taken into account feedback from our earlier consultation with residents.
“We are currently finalising proposals but will continue to engage with impacted residents and provide further information ahead of the change to communal bins.”
I might be wrong but as councillors in the administration, surely they can tell officers to stop this proposal. It’s a bit like we agree it, then there is a public outcry and now we are the saviors to stop it.
Yep – and with local elections less than 9 months away, and Labour councillors losing multiple recent by elections, I can’t help but think there is a bit of self-interest in Labour councillors trying to separate themselves from council decisions.
It’s not a good look for councillors to be critical of officers like this though, especially when, like you point out, it is councillors who ultimately decide council policy.