As Yes Prime Minister tours to packed houses in theatres around the country, news breaks that a lost fragment of Yes Minister has been discovered at the bottom of a waste bin in Shropshire that hadn’t been emptied for some while…
Cast
Jim Hacker MP, Minister for Administrative Affairs.
Sir Humprey Appleton, Permanent Secretary.
Bernard Wooley, Principal Private Secretary.
Jim Hacker: Humprey, there are reports from Shropshire that street waste bins are not being emptied. People have dropped litter and dog poo bags everywhere. It’s unhygienic. What on earth is happening?
Sir Humphrey: It’s only a small number of bins, Minister. There was a change of contractor. Recruitment was needed. Urgent requirement for training. Health and Safety. Risk assessments. TUPE. Optimisation of routes. Digital mapping. Delays in vehicle delivery. Lack of contract manager. We have been fair to Shropshire under challenging circumstances. Bins haven’t been emptied in every town from Market Drayton to Ludlow. It’s only been two months of disruption. Think of Birmingham. A year-long bin strike.
Jim Hacker: (Exasperated.) Where on earth does that leave us?
Bernard: In a right mess.
(Sir Humphrey glares at Bernard).
Jim Hacker: How are we going to solve this Humphrey? If these headlines continue, I’ll get a call from the prime minister. I could lose my job in the reshuffle. There is always a reshuffle coming.
Sir Humphrey: Never fear, Minister. The problem is being solved as we speak. Bins are being removed to ease collection difficulties. Already eight bins have been removed in Ludlow.
Jim Hacker: But that will just lead to litter everywhere.
Sir Humphrey: Then we will issue fines for littering.
Bernard: That way we’ll make some money as well as save money on collection.
With apologies to Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn.
The mysterious case of disappearing waste bins in Ludlow
Shropshire Council has been in a right pickle about the very straightforward task of emptying litter and dog bins on the streets of the county. Bin emptying used to be managed by the landscape maintenance company iverde but the company handed back the contract from the end of March. Many accounts suggest it stopped work earlier. iverde was a subcontractor to Kier, an infrastructure services, construction and property development giant with a turnover of £4bn a year.
Kier usually delivers this work through subcontractors rather than directly. It subcontracts work like that but when it found that it had to manage the work itself, it proved incapable of managing a straightforward task. Bins have been overflowing, especially at weekends.
I am not sure the situation has improved as some bins weren’t emptied last weekend.
In the light of these problems, serious questions must be asked as to why Shropshire Council extended Kier’s for streetscene work (largely litter bins and grass cutting) by at least a year last April. By then iverde had handed the contract back to Kier. Did Shropshire Council know iverde was no longer working from Kier when it signed the contract extension? If not why not?
Meanwhile, Shropshire Council seems to be easing the litter bin emptying problem with an innovative solution. It is removing bins! So far eight litter bins have gone in Ludlow but there may be more I am not aware of.
Two bins have gone from the Garden of Rest behind St Lawrence’s Church. These were always popular bins especially for dog walkers. A black bin bag has been hung up from a lamppost as a temporary patch to Shropshire Council’s failure.
Two bins have been removed from Hucklemarsh Road. One was photographed being taken away by a Shropshire Council (Kier) streetscene vehicle.
Bins have been removed from a bridleway off Stanton Road, from outside the junior school and from the alley between Clee View and Henley Road. All were well used bins.
Shropshire Council hasn’t made any statement about litter bin removal. Which leads to the question, does it even know it is happening?
Shrewsbury Town Council has already taken over streetscene operations from Shropshire Council and other towns are looking at doing the same. In an email to a Ludlow resident, Shropshire Council gave this statement:
“We have recently reviewed the current level of service provision and recognise that one of the key challenges is ensuring expectations are aligned with what can realistically be delivered within the resources available. We agree that there is an opportunity to be clearer about our service offer, and we are currently looking to include more information on our website for customers to view. This will cover details such as waste bin locations and emptying frequencies, helping to provide greater clarity for residents as well as town and parish councils.
“It is important to be open about our current position. At present, we are not in a position to increase emptying frequencies or invest in additional infrastructure. Demand for services can vary, particularly during periods of good weather or increased visitor numbers, and this can place additional pressure on existing arrangements. In some areas, this may require more localised solutions to help manage these pressures effectively.
“There are examples elsewhere in the county, such as in Shifnal, where enhanced provision has been supported locally, and other areas like Shrewsbury and Broseley have progressed devolved service arrangements. These approaches may be options for town and parish councils to consider where additional service levels are required.
“For Ludlow, we will continue to deliver the existing service levels.”
“Sent on behalf of the Alliance Executive Manager StreetScene Services.”
If existing service levels are being maintained, why are litter bins being removed?
Shropshire Council is due to take the streetscene operation in house in April 2027. Why didn’t do that last April so it had direct control over what was happening?