Update on disruption to Cityclean and City Parks services
We’re alerting our residents of staffing issues that are affecting our Cityclean streets, rubbish and recycling collections in the coming months.
Despite our bin crews and street cleaners continuing to work hard collecting the city’s waste, we’re asking for your patience over the summer until we can start getting back to normal.
The problem stems from the rising rates of Covid-19 across the country and the impact on Brighton & Hove resulting in many of our staff being ‘pinged’ and having to self-isolate while some others have Covid and also need to self-isolate. This is a problem throughout the country for local authorities and businesses.
At Cityclean, there are 11 drivers and six operatives either sick, self-isolating or have Covid. This means collection lorries can’t go out.
These issues are also affecting our City Parks services in parks and open spaces, including verge cutting and weed removal.
Very difficult to recruit new staff
We’re also finding it very difficult to recruit new people or bring in agency staff as they’re facing the same problems, and the situation is being made worse by the national shortage of HGV drivers due to Brexit.
As a further result of leaving the European Union, we’re finding it very difficult to get vehicle parts when our bin lorries break down, meaning the truck and crew cannot start their round, resulting in missed collections.
When rounds or street cleaning services are missed, it’s then very hard to catch up without the correct number of staff.
Situation changing daily
It’s also extremely difficult to plan ahead as the situation changes daily as more and more people are ‘pinged’ and asked to self-isolate.
Yesterday’s (Thursday’s) government announcement on some critical workers not having to self-isolate does not seem to include front-line staff like refuse workers, but we’re looking into this.
Councillor Amy Heley, chair of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “We’re facing an extremely difficult situation at the moment due to staff shortages which are leading to missed collections and work like weed removal.
“We know and appreciate how extremely frustrating this can be for our residents, but staff health and safety is paramount.
'Please bear with us'
“We want to be honest and ask people to please bear with us as we’re doing everything we can to support staff to stay protected from the virus, and minimise the disruption.”
Councillor Heley added: “Our staff are working tremendously hard to keep the city clean and tidy, including our parks and open spaces, and have been doing so throughout the pandemic, in all weathers.
“But like local authorities and businesses throughout the country, our services are being severely affected by staff suffering from Covid, people self-isolating and the difficulties in trying to recruit and bring in agency staff.”
To minimise disruption as much as possible we’ll be:
- redeploying staff where possible
- continuing to try and recruit new staff and use agency staff
- asking residents, where possible, to store their recycling until we can collect
- continuing our garden waste collections
Ways you can help
- flatten all boxes and place in your bin - unflattened boxes take up extra space
- don’t leave extra waste beside a communal bin as this is fly-tipping
- if you have too much waste or recycling, please keep it until your next collection or take it to one of our 64 recycling points or our Household Waste Recycling Sites.
Thank you for your understanding and co-operation.