West Devon waste problem binned!

Performance figures reveal drastic improvement in bin collections

Missed bin collections in West Devon have dramatically reduced since last year and are now well below the national target.

Members of West Devon Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee were presented with their performance figures this week which showed 44 missed bin collections per 100,000 for the last quarter, compared with the last three months of 2022 where 750 were missed. The national target is 80.

A stormy period in the council’s waste service was blamed on driver shortages following the covid pandemic but things have improved with new rounds and new recruits, councillors were told recently.

Household recycling rates are a little below where they should be at 50 per cent  (the target is 57 per cent) for the April/May/June period. Members heard that the best councils achieve 63 per cent and the worst, usually inner city authorities, achieve 30 per cent.

It’s better news for planning applications, where with the excpeption of major developments, the council decides 86 per cent within eight weeks unless extra time is agreed. West Devon has a target of 80 per cent (the national target is 70 per cent). The committee was told there was a slight drop in last two quarters because of staff turnover.

When it comes to planning enforcement though, 139 cases were still open, against a target of 128, a slight drop on the previous three months. A shortage of lawyers doesn’t help, and some cases are long and drawn out.

Leader of the council Mandy Ewings (Ind, Tavistock South West) said the council used to have over 400 live cases at any one time, so this is an improvement.

The proportion of cases where homelessness has been prevented is in line with the target of 60 per cent – 50 applications, with 30 successful outcomes.

The average number of days to process new housing benefit claims is 15 days (target 17 days) and in June this came down to 6.6 days. To make changes to a claim, residents wait 4.7 days (the target is six days).

Council tax collection rates for the first quarter of the year were just above the 25 per cent target and non domestic rates stood at 36 per cent.

Some 77 per cent of the 11,000 calls made to the council’s contact centre are answered within five minutes (target 60-80 per cewnt) and 59 per cent of the revenue and benefits (more complex) calls were answered within eight minutes.

Three quarters of  Freedom of Information requests are responded to within 20 working days, but this is lower than the target of 90 per cent.

Four in five residents use online filling, but face-to-face contact is still sought by some people who don’t use the internet.

Two complaints were received by the local government ombudsman during the last three months about planning related issues but neither were investigated as they were outside their remit, the council was told.