Battle of the bins rumbles on as rubbish clean up continues across Milton Keynes

The Tories believe Milton Keynes Council’s leadership had their eyes fixed on a controversial trial of wheelie bins across 3,000 homes in the borough, losing sight of winter pandemic planning.

Labour insists that they did plan ahead, but the sheer scale of staff covid absences from Serco’s rubbish collection service had recently overwhelmed them.

There have also been two tragic covid deaths of refuse staff and dust cart breakdowns.

As a result food and garden waste collections had been suspended across the borough.

Black sack delays reached such a level, affecting 20,000 properties at one point according to the Tories, that collections were put back, with residents leaving bags in some streets.

At a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday Cllr Dan Gilbert (Cons, Loughton & Shenley) said: “In terms of resourcing and crews, can you confirm that there were no overruns in the waste pilot area but overruns affecting 20,000 households in mid January?”

Putting questions to portfolio holder Cllr Emily Darlington (Lab, Bletchley East), Cllr Gilbert added: “Can she explain why the waste pilot was being prioritised at a time where services across the rest of the borough were in the midst of a crisis?”

Cllr Darlington said there had been plans for winter and “knowing we would go into lockdown again.”

But, she added: “Unfortunately staffing hit such a level that we could no longer continue the food and garden waste during the winter months and we weren’t able to complete some runs.”

She said that one new dustcart has been brought in for the wheelie bin trial and because it is new it does not break down.

Cllr Darlington insisted: “It has not taken away any resources from the rest of the waste collection.”

Cllr Gilbert asked if the waste pilot had carried on unaffected while other routes had not.

Cllr Darlington said she had answered the question before and was “happy to sit down with you because there’s clearly something you are not understanding.”

And council leader Pete Marland (Lab, Wolverton) added: “I don’t think Dan wants a meeting, he wants a headline.”

Lib Dem Cllr Robin Bradburn (Bradwell) asked Cllr Darlington for an update on the clean up effort after collections were missed last week in Wolverton, Stony Stratford, Bradwell, Newport North and Loughton & Shenley.

“Many residents are being very understanding but I think they’d like the latest how we are doing,” he said. He and his councillor wife Marie had been out reporting dumped rubbish to the council.

Cllr Darlington said services were “back on track” with significant attention given to Hodge Lea, Stacey Bushes and Great Holm continuing throughout the week.

Cllr Darlington avoided saying that issues would not happen again.

She said: “We are hopeful but remain vigilant” and added that the council must “make sure we are protecting our front line staff as well as ensuring the best service that we can.”