Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
RESOLVED That the Cabinet decision on proposed fee for Collection of real Christmas Trees be upheld.
There were no Declarations of Interest made.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Cabinet decision on proposed fee for Collection of real Christmas Trees be upheld.
The Committee considered a report by the Head of Infrastructure and Environmental Services on the proposed fee for collection of real Christmas Trees. The Chair invited Councillor Huw Murphy, the originator of the call-in to present the call-In to the Committee who noted that the service was factored into the budget for 2023/24 and that the collection was popular. Councillor Murphy requested that all Members were given the opportunity to discuss in full Council as they was individually accountable to their wards. The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Residents Services advised that the principle of charging had been approved by full Council on 2 March 2023 by a democratic vote to be enacted during the current year and that the charge per collection was needed to be set. He advised that the Authority were facing unprecedented demand on the budget. The Cabinet Member for Residents Services then introduced the Chief Officer for Environmental Services who responded to each of the points raised in the Call-In report, advising that: · All discretionary services had been reviewed and garden waste had been chargeable for a number of years. · There were a number of free collection points at the Waste and Recycling Centres for Christmas Trees with additional dates being made available over the holiday period due to bank holidays. · There were a number of options available including composting of trees, potted trees, fake trees. · The previous service had been provided by an external contractor. · The majority of collections took place in more affluent areas when linked to the Welsh index of deprivation. · The cost for tree collection had not been factored into the budget. It had been included in the options in March 2023. If the saving was not made through charging, funding would need to be sought another way. The Committee then debated the contents of the report and the key points were noted as follows. Councillor Murphy highlighted that he did not believe that 1800 trees would be collected this year. Councillor Anji Tinley advised that she had not been aware of the collection service and emphasised that the budget options were in principle which was a suggestion. The Cabinet Member advised that the amount due to be saved from introducing a collection charge was clearly listed to all Members as part of the budget seminar process that took place up until March 2023. The Chief Officer for Environmental Services advised that the green waste collections charge was based on a nine month service from March to the end of November. If the service was providing for longer than this, it would need to be increased. In response to a question from Councillor Alan Dennison regarding the actual cost for collecting a tree that had been fly-tipped, the Head of Infrastructure advised that the costings were noted in the documentation and the Chief Officer highlighted that it would be very much location dependant. In response to concerns raised by Councillor Di Clements regarding fly-tipping incidents and recycling amounts, the Chief Officer advised that fly-tipping had reduced over the last 10-15 years. She further advised that tree collections account for approximately 0.03% of the total recycling figures. Councillor Tony Wilcox highlighted that there had been ample opportunity to debate the costs throughout the process and felt it was unnecessary and costly for Officer time to now debate this. However, the Chair highlighted that every Member has a right to a Call-In. In response to a suggestion from Councillor Alan Dennison regarding asking supermarkets to fund the disposal of trees, the Chief Officer advised that it was not just supermarkets that sold Christmas trees and that they needed to be reactive to the number of trees. Councillor Di Clements proposed an amendment to the recommendation, that the Authority continue to introduce the £5 fee per tree to ensure cost recovery but that trees would be accepted at the Waste and Recycling Centres without the need to pre-book a slot for 10 days post Christmas Day. However, the Chief Officer advised that the booking process had been retained due to Health and Safety concerns for staff and to limit queues. Slots were bookable up to 5 minutes in advance she advised and they were assuring all sites would have more availability. In response to a further question from Councillor Di Clements regarding a collection point for trees external to the site or to drop off a tree for staff to collect, the Chief Officer advised that sites have a one-way system in place and that the risk assessment would need to accommodate additional vehicles. Leaving trees external to the sites would encourage fly-tipping she added. Councillor Wilcox agreed that it would not only be trees that were left external to the site. Councillor Huw Murphy Moved that the decision on a proposed fee for collection of real Christmas trees return to full Council for a vote or to Cabinet; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. The Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that Council do not have decision making powers and could only refer back to Cabinet with recommendations. The vote, undertaken by way of a roll-call, was lost. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Brian Hall, Huw Murphy, Alan Dennison and Anji Tinley [4] Against the Motion: Councillors Steve Alderman, Di Clements, Tim Evans, Rhys Jordan, Mike Stoddart, Tom Tudor, Tony Wilcox, Chris Williams and Mark Carter [9] There were no abstentions. RESOLVED That the Cabinet decision on proposed fee for Collection of real Christmas Trees be upheld.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.