Hundreds Of Bin Collections Missed In Brighton & Hove As Councillors Say Service Has Improved

People across Brighton and Hove have complained about missed rubbish collections just weeks after the council said that the service had improved.

In the past fortnight, residents in Round Hill, Hanover, Hollingbury and Patcham have contacted their ward councillors about missed collections.

Figures released by Brighton and Hove City Council show that the number of missed collections in the first four weeks of January totalled 705.

The weekly numbers ranged from a low of 115 in the first week to a high of 218 in the week commencing Monday 15 January.

On Monday 29 January the council started briefing unions and staff about the cuts contained in the council’s draft budget for the 2024-25 financial year.

In the week commencing Monday 29 January, some 731 missed collections were reported – more than the whole of the previous four weeks.

And 48 Cityclean vehicles – the equivalent of more than four in five – were marked as “defective” and out of action for at least part of a day during the same week.

In the first full week of February, people reported some 1,751 missed collections – more than the previous five weeks put together – and 43 vehicles were listed as “defective”.

Despite the deterioration, the figures for the first six weeks of this year are better than they were a year ago, with more than 3,000 missed collections compared with more than 4,500.

On Friday 9 February, firefighters were called out to a blaze in a bin lorry at the council’s Cityclean depot in Hollingdean. The fire damaged a second vehicle.

And on Monday 12 February the GMB union, which represents rubbish, recycling and street cleaning workers and drivers, threatened strike action over proposed job losses and changes to how they worked.

A report to the council’s Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Committee last month said that missed collections were down 90 per cent in December compared with August – from 2,552 to 205.

The improvements followed an excoriating report by barrister Aileen McColgan which followed whistleblower claims. She found a toxic culture of violence and intimidation at the Hollngdean depot and criticised some unnamed GMB union reps.

Round Hill resident Dominic Furlong said that his rubbish had not been collected for the past two weeks and he was aware of other roads in the area with missed collections.

Mr Furlong said:

“It’s been noticed that similar issues with missed rubbish collections occurred about two years ago just before the previous strikes.

“It made me think perhaps collections are deliberately missed in order to increase complaints, thereby applying greater pressure on the council to agree to strikers’ demands.

“At the very least, the council should make data on missed collections by ward and over time publicly available. This would give residents a sense of context over service levels and provide a tool for greater accountability.”

Mr Furlong contacted Green councillor Raphael Hill, who represents Round Hill, to ask why he could not report a missed collection after 3pm on the scheduled day.

He questioned the practical purpose of reporting missed collections, saying that nothing seemed to happen.

Councillor Hill said:

“The last couple of weeks have left residents with dangerously overflowing bins in Round Hill which is unacceptable.

“While most streets had collections this week, some streets such as Crescent Road still urgently need their collections.

“I am concerned by Dominic Furlong’s comment that the reporting tool is not working after 3pm on the scheduled collection day. I hope that can be resolved quickly.”

Conservative councillor Alistair McNair said that there were similar problems in his ward, Patcham and Hollingbury.

Councillor McNair, leader of the Conservatives, said that Church Hill, Denton Drive, Graham Avenue, Overhill Gardens, The Woodlands, Court Close and Portfield Avenue had all experienced missed collections in the past fortnight.

He said: “Job cuts might hit Cityclean hard. They may or may not be wise. But residents are tired of not having a reliable service which they are paying for.

“Whatever it is, Cityclean still appears to be struggling. Is Labour helping or hindering the situation?

“The culture change will take time and staff need our understanding. But it is hard not to be disappointed that the service, seemingly doing so well, appears to be going backwards again. Residents need to feel that progress is being made.”

Labour councillor Tim Rowkins, who chairs the council’s City Environment, South Downs and the Sea Committee, said:

“Since the publication of the inquiry into Cityclean, we’ve been working closely with all the staff at the depot, including the GMB, to improve the service for our residents and create a better and safer workplace culture for our staff.

“There has been significantly better performance in recent months, with fewer missed bins. We are proud of all the work that has been ongoing by our valued staff to achieve this.

“We’ve always been clear that fundamental changes are needed. This is why we’re consulting with the workforce on working practices before making any decisions.

“We agree that the rounds need restructuring in order to ensure they are balanced. The digital system to aid this process has been procured and we are currently preparing its rollout."

Councillor Rowkins added:

“Our aim is to improve efficiency and invest in the quality of the working environment at the depot.

“We welcome contact and discussion with both our recognised trade unions, including on the issues raised by the GMB, and look forward to further discussions with them next week.”

Members of the GMB union have voted 95 per cent in favour of balloting for a strike. The vote came less than two weeks after the council’s draft budget was published on Wednesday 31 January.

Trade unions and other political groups were briefed about the potential impact of job losses before publication.

A Twitter account used by GMB Sussex branch secretary Mark Turner, who has been off sick since the McColgan report was published last autumn, promised “chaos set to hit the city of Brighton”. It was one of a series of tweets that have since been deleted.