While improvements are being made in recycling services, inspectors said these were not being matched elsewhere in the Midlands council's waste management portfolio.
The commission's inspection team gave the district council service a 'fa;ir' one star rating out of a possible three, because they found its performance inconsistent and said it had uncertain prospects for improvement.
” Focus has been more on recycling and less on other areas such as street cleansing and ensuring value for money. “
– Sandy McMillan, Audit Commission
Cllr Brian Fuller, Bromsgrove’s cabinet member responsible for environmental health, has accepted the inspectors' criticisms and promised to press ahead with improvements that will deliver “a value for money all-round waste management service”.
“They have carried out a very thorough investigation and given us some very clear indications on how to move forward. We have worked very hard concentrating on recycling and reducing the amount of household waste we collect with good results However, we know we have more to do and we are going to do it,” said Cllr Fuller.
The council exceeded its 10% recycling target for 2003/04, recycling 11% of its household waste in that year.
The inspectors Kerry John, Rachel Barnes and John Cotterill said the council performed well in some areas of waste management such as recycling, but they were less impressed by standards in other parts of the service such as street cleansing.
Improving
Their report acknowledges the council is committed to improving its waste management and says that some progress is being made. However, it also adds that work is still needed to ensure these changes are sustained, so that the public can see improvements and be sure that the service provides value for money.
The council's waste management service includes refuse collection, recycling, street cleansing, dealing with fly tipping and abandoned vehicles, environmental education and enforcement, all of which are provided in-house.
” We have worked very hard concentrating on recycling and reducing the amount of household waste we collect with good results However, we know we have more to do.“
– Cllr Brian Fuller, Bromsgrove DC
Bromsgrove also works with contractors for the disposal and processing of recyclable materials and hazardous wastes but was unable to define the overall budget for waste management service at the time of inspection.
Audit Commission senior manager, Sandy McMillan said: “We recognise the recent progress the council has made on recycling. However performance was not consistent.
“Focus has been more on recycling and less on other areas such as street cleansing and ensuring value for money. The council is working to further improve the service but these developments have yet to impact on service delivery for local people.”
Findings
The inspectors found:-
- A clear strategic direction for the service developed in partnership with other councils in the area
- A commitment by the council to improve the service with increased opportunities for recycling
- Good performance on reducing the amount of household waste collected per head of population
However they also highlighted a number of weaknesses including:-
- No service plans or standards showing what people can expect from the service and how it will improve
- A lack of good financial information and performance management systems so the council cannot demonstrate it is delivering value for money waste management services
- Poor monitoring of street cleaning with declining public satisfaction and 34 per cent of land with unacceptable levels of litter in 2003/04
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Among their suggestions for improvement, the inspectors says the council should develop a plan to address the weaknesses highlighted by their report and put in place feedback mechanisms to allow the public and staff to be more involved in improving the service.
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