Torbay Council to trial 3 weekly bin collections

But the changes won't apply everywhere.

It is planning to start a trial in the last quarter of 2020 for the new scheme, after a new council-owned company takes over the service from contractor Tor2.

The council has responded to concerns raised during public consultation and will not introduce it everywhere.

Some locations including town centres are likely to stick with the fortnightly collections.

The weekly kerbside recycling and food waste collections will carry on unchanged.

The proposed change is designed to cut costs, increase recycling rates and reduce carbon output in line with climate emergency action.

Council leader Steve Darling wants to see an increase in recycling rates which had been experienced by other councils including East Devon which have gone to three-weekly collections.

A major communications exercise will be carried out later in the year to let people know about the changes, which proved unpopular during initial consultation.

The proposal is outlined in the response by the council’s ruling Cabinet to consultation on the proposed budget for the next financial year from April.

There were more than 870 replies from the public, a big increase on previous years.

The response document published on Tuesday, February 4, sets out a series of changes from the original proposals after taking into account the views of the public and scrutiny by councillors.

The council has had to find £10.5million of savings and income to balance the books for planned spending of £116million in 2020/21. 

Government funding has dropped from £42million in 2013 to £6.5million next year, while the cost of children’s services has risen from £25million to £47million.

The partnership of Liberal Democrats and Independents running the council since elections in May have made funding children’s services its top priority, and next year’s £10million increased spending for the department includes £2.8million of investment to make improvements.

Changes from the original budget proposals include:

• a reduction in the increase of the £365 annual car park permit to £395 – £1.08 a day – from the original £430;
• a new ‘single pod’ public toilet kiosk at Goodrington South Beach, as part of £600,000 investment in new pay-to-use blocks at Meadfoot, Broadsands, Goodrington North, Abbey Meadows and Preston Bus Shelter. The new toilet is in response to concerns raised during the consultation. The council says the new single block at Preston should cope with demand following closure of the two current blocks, but will monitor use and increase capacity if needed;
• plans to transfer management of Torbay’s UNESCO Geopark to a new independent trust will not go ahead next year, but it is still the council’s long-term aim;
• a previous fee cut will be restored to Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, which manages open land for the council;
• a proposed cut to the fee to TDA which manages council properties will not go ahead;
• two new jobs will be created to manage the council’s action on climate change and deliver its new housing strategy.

Leader of the council Steve Darling said: “We have got real challenges as far as the finances are concerned, because of the reduction in Government grant. We have clearly prioritised children’s services, with an ‘invest-to-save’ approach.

“We are looking to see where we can invest in services that are important to us, such as climate change and housing, which is where we have some additional money going back in.”

The council is also planning to spend £143milion on capital projects already approved for the next financial year.

The Conservative group on the council now has an opportunity to make objections to the budget, which will be considered at a meeting on Thursday, February 13.

The deadline for approving the budget is Thursday, February 24, when the council is due to meet to set the council tax.

Torbay Council’s share of the tax bill is expected to rise by 3.99 per cent, including 2 per cent for adult social care.

The proposed budget would see the council’s bill rise for Band C homes by £53.31 a year, equal to £1.03 a week, and £59.97 for Band D, equal to £1.15 a week.

The final council tax will be worked out after adding the cost of fire and police services and the bill from Brixham Town Council for people in that part of Torbay.