North Devon trade waste collections ‘in profit’ after service saved
A £100,000-plus surplus is expected following a campaign for North Devon Council to continue its trade waste service
North Devon’s trade waste service is expected to be in the black to the tune of £113,000 following massive opposition against plans to s crap it at the start of this year.
North Devon Council made a decision to stop the popular service of 20 years in January because it was losing £67,000, a year but this was later revoked following a petition of 1,600 names against it and charges being increased instead.
The 46 per cent price hike is now expected to bring in a surplus of £113,000 by the end of the financial year.
Councillor Peter Jones, who was instrumental in the campaign opposing plans to scrap the service, along with several local businesses, told the council’s scrutiny and policy development committee yesterday (Thursday, November 5) that this was “a sensational figure” and thanked everyone who signed the petition.
The meeting heard the number of customers dropped by almost 400 to 1,115 when the charge hike first came, in but 85 new customers have joined since.
The council got into a pickle over the finances as it had not kept charges in line with competitors. Trade waste customers, many of whom were in rural areas where there were few or no alternative providers, said they would be happy to pay an increase to keep the service.
In an update report that will be presented to the council’s strategy and resources committee on November 16, it says there has only been one complaint since February with six people complimenting the trade team.
Prices will increase next April ‘by an appropriate level of inflation’ said the report.
The council may look at expanding the service in the future and look at other areas outside the district boundary if demand exists. It may also consider resurrecting the trade waste recycling which ended this year.
The report added: “Based on the petition from local businesses last year and feedback from customers who have switched to the private sector our USP (unique selling point) is that we would go anywhere and were much more reliable than the private operators.
“If NDC were to operate a trade recycling service again, it would need to price more competitively than it did previously and consider whether to introduce a new pricing system like the private sector, based on weight and mileage.
“Any resurrection of the commercial trade recycling service would need to involve a carefully thought-out pricing structure.”