Wrthi'n llwytho
Does dim crynodeb o'r cyfarfod hwn eto. Caiff crynodebau eu hysgrifennu pan fydd y cyngor yn cyhoeddi'r cofnodion, sef ei gofnod swyddogol o'r hyn a benderfynodd cyfarfod. Maen nhw fel arfer yn ymddangos ychydig wythnosau ar ôl y cyfarfod.
Response by the Cabinet Member: Dear Cllr Breeze, Please see below my responses to your ten questions. 1. Political Responsibility Yes I accept political responsibility for the overall performance of the waste and recycling service. However, I do not manage the day to day operation of the service. That is the responsibility of the Chief Officer Place and senior officers of the Council. 2. Immediate Response and Recovery There is a particular problem with missed collections on bank holiday Mondays. That isn’t new, but the changes in the routes implemented at the beginning of April means that different household now have collections on Mondays. If collections are not completed on a bank holiday Monday, the service can be disrupted through the subsequent week as the service seeks to complete missed collections on the following days. The service is putting in additional resources to seek to resolve these issues. 3. Operational Accountability The problem is particularly acute in the north of Powys, where fewer staff take up overtime on bank holiday Mondays. Staff absences and mechanical failures with vehicles have compounded the problem. I am meeting with the Chief Officer Place, the Head of Highways, Transport and Recycling and the Senior Manager for Waste and Recycling at least weekly. I am also in touch with the senior manager daily taking up issues as they are reported to me. The senior officers deal with these operational issues and manage them to reduce as far as they can the impact upon the service. The issues I have raised have been dealt with promptly and effectively when reported. 4. Leadership and Oversight The service was improving before I took responsibility for the portfolio, but it still has some way to go to match last year’s performance. See the figures below. Number of reported missed collections March April May 2025 0.07% 0.13% 0.13% 2026 0.47% 0.45% 0.35% However, that is of no satisfaction to those residents who have faced repeated missed or delayed collections, and the service is not yet where it needs to be. The 0.35% of reported missed collections in May 2026 compared to May 2025 represents 2,685 collections in a month with two bank holidays out of a total of 769,784 possible collections. I receive regular reports on the performance of the service, and reports are also being sent to all councillors on a regular basis. 5. Approach to Management I will continue to work closely with the management of the service to assist them in resolving these issues as did the previous portfolio holder. It is not my role to direct or instruct officers in the operational management of the service, but they know that I and the whole council need to see further improvement in the reliability of the service from the performance of recent weeks. I would also welcome scrutiny of the service by the relevant scrutiny committee and will continue to respond promptly and openly to issues of concern that are raised with me, as did my predecessor. 6. Relationship with Officers The balance between political leadership and operational delivery is absolutely vital, and the criticism of the previous portfolio holder demonstrates a lack of understanding of that. The political leadership, not just the cabinet but the whole council, sets the budget. The cabinet determines the policies of the council and cabinet and scrutiny committees hold the executive to account for the delivery of the service. It is essential that there is an understanding of the separate roles of political leadership as exercised by councillors from operational responsibilities of the council’s staff lead by the Chief Executive, Directors and Heads of Service. Our staff are working hard to resolve the issues around Monday collections, and an understanding of the separation of roles is not any criticism of the work being done. Systemic failure which is a consequence of council policy clearly needs to be resolved by the cabinet or portfolio holder reviewing and amending that policy as required. 7. Reputational Impact There is no doubt that the poor service delivery some people are experiencing is damaging to the reputation of the Council, that is a major reason why the recent delivery problems are a legitimate concern for the whole council. Public confidence will only be restored by a measurable and consistent improvement in the service’s delivery. People expect councillors to hold the service to account and robustly scrutinise it performance. However, the Councils reputation is also not served by the blaming of one councillor for operational service issues, such as staff shortages, sickness and vehicle breakdowns that are beyond the ability of any single councillor to resolve. 8. Short-Term Improvement Plan In April, short term issues arising from the route changes caused particular disruption. They were due to unfamiliarity with the routes, particularly in deeply rural areas, and some changes which needed amending. Many of those issues are being resolved as demonstrated by the improved performance in May compared with April. There are issues that have not yet been fully resolved but as they are I expect to see a further improvement in the coming month. 9. Contingency Planning Further work needs to done, particularly working with the staff in the north, to resolve the problems with bank holiday collections. As I said previously, these are not new issues, but bank holiday collections have moved with the route changes. The management team are committing additional resources to resolving them and I will be looking to see an improved performance at the August bank holiday. 10. Scrutiny and Reporting That has been happening. Twelve reports have been sent to all members over the last few months, the most recent on Monday 8th June. I am happy to share them with Cllr Breeze and any other councillors if they have missed them. None of them are private and can be shared with the public. I will ask the service to continue to send such reports on performance and progress for as long as is necessary.
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.
Dyw'r cyngor ddim wedi cofnodi presenoldeb ar gyfer y cyfarfod hwn.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.