18th June 2017 Dear Cllr David
Bridgend County Borough Council Kerbside Waste Collection and the Performance of Kier.
We write to you as Borough, Town and Community Councillors representing residents from across the BCBC area and as members of a number of different councils to express our increasing concern regarding the performance of BCBC’s contractor Kier and the overall rollout of the new regime referred to as the “two bag rule”.
It is clear to us and the residents that we represent that the scheme isn’t working and that Kier are not performing.
Anxious householders are continuously contacting us because they are still waiting for the correct bags and boxes, refuse is not being collected on the correct days, streets and houses are being missed and rubbish is piling up on our streets.
Your contractor is leaving bags and boxes strewn across our neighbourhoods often with items left inside.
There are already signs of an increase in fly tipping and littering.
To compound this Kier will not answer phone calls and e-mails and BCBC staff are reluctant to intervene on behalf of the residents who pay their council tax, preferring to refer them back to Kier.
The scheme is about to enter its third week and there is no sign of things improving. The situation is rapidly spiralling out of control.
When this scheme was first proposed we urged you to reconsider, however, you persisted. Many people warned that the scheme was unpopular and unworkable but you did not listen.
What no-one predicted was the incompetence with which the scheme has been rolled out, the obvious lack of a coherent implementation plan and the chaos that is now apparent. The fact that Kier were the incumbent contractor who have had many months to prepare (including a deferment) renders their performance inexcusable.
The public that you and we serve has real concerns regarding this scheme. They are concerned about its implementation, with its disregard for the dignity of those who are forced to register for purple absorbent waste bags that highlight their personal medical conditions to their neighbours and for the implications for public health arising from the rubbish that is piling up on our door steps. People with disabilities have not had their needs considered and neither BCBC or Kier have responded to requests for reasonable adjustments despite their duty to do so.
Enough is enough. It is now time for you as Leader of BCBC to show leadership and take personal responsibility for this situation.
We call upon you to recognise that a crisis is unfolding before us and to intervene personally to bring this matter under control. You must robustly manage Kier and you must rethink this ill-conceived regime that is bringing so much concern and alarm to the residents of Bridgend County Borough.
The public can no longer be dismissed as “whingers” or “keyboard warriors”. The chaos on our streets cannot be ignored any longer. We urge you to intervene with immediate effect.
Yours sincerely
Cllr S Aspey (Bridgend County Borough Council & Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr D Barrington (Coity Higher Community Council) Cllr T Beedle (Bridgend County Borough Council) Cllr T Berrow (Laleston Community Council) Cllr S Bletsoe (Bridgend Town Council) Cllr M Chegwen (Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr N Clarke (Bridgend County Borough Council & Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr M Clarke (Bridgend County Borough Council & Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr S Charles (Bridgend Town Council) Cllr J Davies (Garw Valley Community Council) Cllr B Davies (Laleston Community Council) Cllr R Davies (Laleston Community Council) Cllr S Dendy (Bridgend County Borough Council & Garw Valley Community Council) Cllr L Desmond-Williams (Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr A Davies (Coity Higher Community Council) Cllr K Edwards (Bridgend County Borough Council & Maesteg Town Council) Cllr C Evans (Bridgend Town Council & Coity Higher Community Council) Cllr C Green (Bridgend County Borough Council & Laleston Community Council) Cllr A Hughes (Coity Higher Community Council) Cllr E Hyde (St Brides Minor Community Council) Cllr D Harrison (Laleston Community Council) Cllr T Hill (Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr B Jones (Bridgend County Borough Council & Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr R Leonard-Davies (Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr S Maitland-Thomas (Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr A McKay (Ogmore Valley Community Council) Cllr M Pinches (Garw Valley Community Council) Cllr R Porter (Bridgend Town Council) Cllr J Radcliffe (Bridgend County Borough Council) Cllr L Richards (Coity Higher Community Council & St Brides Minor Community Council) Cllr L Robson (Newcastle Higher Community Council) Cllr I Robson (Bridgend Town Council) Cllr I Spiller (Laleston Community Council) Cllr F Sykes Bletsoe (Bridgend Town Council) Cllr R Stirman (Bridgend County Borough Council & Garw Valley Community Council) Cllr R Thomas (Bridgend County Borough Council & Maesteg Town Council) Cllr T Thomas (Bridgend County Borough Council) Cllr G Walter (Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr P Warren (Bridgend Town Council) Cllr A Wathan (Bridgend Town Council & Coity Higher Community Council) Cllr C Wintle (Porthcawl Town Council) Cllr M Williams (Coity Higher Community Council & St Brides Minor Community Council) Cllr A Williams (Bridgend County Borough Council) Cllr T Wood (Bridgend Town Council)
Cc:
Cllr H Williams (Deputy Leader Bridgend County Borough Council) Mr D Mepham (Chief Executive Bridgend County Borough Council)