Councillors in Bath have raised serious concerns about a decision to change bin collection timings in the city centre that could cost local businesses thousands of pounds annually—without the change being properly scrutinised by the council beforehand.
In July, council cabinet member Mark Elliott approved three adjustments to the evening business waste collection policy, including pushing back the time shops can put their bins out from 5pm to 6pm. While seemingly minor, this shift poses a significant challenge as many shops close at 5pm, leaving no staff available at 6pm to place bins outside.
According to the council’s own assessment, affected businesses might need to cover an additional £3,089 per year in wages to have someone stay late to manage bin disposal. Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent Group) stated, “Unintended consequences are common in council decisions, and scrutiny helps us minimise these. This decision, however, did not receive adequate scrutiny.”
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This issue was discussed at a specially convened council scrutiny panel meeting on July 29, called after nine councillors from the Independent Group, Green Party, and Conservatives formally requested a review. This marked the first occasion the decision faced scrutiny.
Lead call-in Councillor Colin Blackburn (Westmoreland, Independent Group) and panel member Joanna Wright (Lambridge, Green) questioned why the proposals had bypassed the usual scrutiny process prior to approval. Wright remarked, “Had this gone through scrutiny, many of these issues could have been addressed beforehand.”
Elliott, new to his portfolio since May, explained, “This was one of the first decisions I handled after becoming portfolio holder, so I need to review the process that led to it.” He expressed support for scrutiny, committing to ensuring future decisions would undergo proper review when deemed appropriate.
Blackburn emphasized, “Scrutiny allows reflection and engagement, leading to well-supported proposals before decisions are made unilaterally. Relying on call-ins post-factum is inefficient and unproductive.”
Elliott defended the timing change as a response to complaints about rubbish being left on busy streets during early evening hours. While the £3,089 figure was described as a “worst case scenario,” some businesses claim costs could be even higher.
The committee voted 5-2 to dismiss the call-in. Hughes and Wright supported revisiting the bin collection times, but the majority of Liberal Democrat members voted against further action, with one abstaining.
The new policy will be introduced as a 12-month pilot. Alarmingly, 93% of the businesses who responded to the council’s consultation opposed the proposal, yet only 87 out of 1,126 city centre business rate payers participated.
Elliott commented on the low response rate, suggesting, “It implies most businesses are not affected. Moving to a pilot is a reasonable step to progress this.”
Hughes disagreed, stating, “A pilot is not the best way to identify unintended consequences. Thorough scrutiny would better address potential problems beforehand.”
Blackburn described a year-long pilot as “bonkers,” highlighting the complexities for businesses, including contract adjustments, commuting changes, childcare, and other commitments disrupted by shifting work hours.
Charlie Dalton-Ball of family-run jeweller S. P. Green & Co on Green Street voiced concerns about the policy’s practicality. “On paper, this might work, but in reality, it’s unworkable for many businesses like ours. Our business operates from 10am to 5:30pm, leaving no legal window to put out waste during staffed hours,” he said.
Dalton-Ball criticized the process as “undemocratic,” noting, “The council argued low consultation turnout means little impact, but if election turnout was that low, they wouldn’t dismiss the results.”