Waste overhaul poorly planned, report finds

An investigation into changes in collections at Swindon Borough Council's has concluded the rollout was poorly planned leading to weeks of missed collections.

The new waste collection system included weekly food waste collections, new rotas, and a new fleet of lorries which faced operational difficulties due to a lack of resources.

The report, written by Greenlight Commercial & Consulting, identified several key issues, including insufficient staff, a lack of expertise, and weak project management.

Councillor Chris Watts commissioned the report and said it aimed to "identify the problems with the council's project management" to ensure mistakes were not made in future.

The report noted that "routine approaches" to resource allocation led to the decision to use existing staff, which created significant strain on the service.

The report highlighted that the service's performance suffered from "poor data" and out-of-date records, with up to 1,000 households possibly missed.

It also criticised the lack of detailed financial planning for the project, stating, "there is a discernible lack of figures in the report" and highlighting the absence of a financial model to account for inflation and service costs.

Councillor Chris Watts, who took over the waste portfolio in May 2023, explained the report's goal was "not really to find out what went wrong, but to identify the problems with the council's project management".

He stressed that major projects, such as the £10m overhaul, should only move forward with the right resources and skills to avoid poor outcomes.

"It's clear that we should not go into major £10m reorganisations without making sure we have adequate resources and the right skills," he said.

"If we don't have the right resources, it is better not to proceed with a project than deliver it badly."

The report is due to be discussed at the Building a Greener Swindon policy committee meeting on Thursday.

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