South Holland could have Bank Holiday Monday refuse collections if the council workforce agrees.
Plans for a so-called ‘slip a day’ collection – meaning everyone would have rubbish collected a day late after a Bank Holiday – were kicked into touch by the council’s own leader, Gary Porter, at Wednesday’s full council meeting.
He clashed with cabinet colleague Roger Gambba-Jones, who proposed slip a day instead of the current system where people who have Monday collections get their waste collected on the Saturday before a Bank Holiday.
Coun Gambba-Jones said only 30 per cent of the usual waste is left out on the Saturday and then the council has to put on extra manpower and vehicles to collect 170 per cent on the Monday following the Bank Holiday.
Coun Porter said a switch to slip a day would affect everyone in the district and everyone would have to remember to put their rubbish out a day late – while sticking with the present system affects just 20 per cent of the population.
The council backed his plan to ask the workforce to consider Bank Holiday working and, if they say “no”, stick to the present system.
Coun Porter said: “If we can’t maintain a decent refuse service, then we have got no business being in this council.”
The council backed new safety measures at Spalding’s West Marsh Road Depot following a visit from the Health and Safety Executive and heard steps are being taken to find extra parking there and possibly split the fleet of 77 vehicles between Spalding and Holbeach depots.
“At this point in time we would prefer splitting the fleet,” Coun Gambba-Jones said.