Mid and East Antrim: almost 70 complaints about waste in recent three-month period, council told
Sixty-eight complaints over waste were received by Mid and East Antrim Council during a recent three-month period, councillors have been told.
The quarterly complaints report for the period between October 1 and December 31 presented to a meeting of the Corporate Resources, Policy and Governance Committee, on Monday, said the council received 81 complaints overall during this period.
An increase of 72 per cent was “largely due to bin collection issues caused by adverse weather and ongoing problems with Bryson Recycling”, the report said. Fifty-five complaints related to “ongoing issues with Bryson Recycling”.
Knockagh DUP Councillor Marc Collins asked about action the council can take over missed collections by Bryson.
“What can we as a council actually do? We are taking all the flak. People just see missed collections as the council’s fault but really it should be levelled at Bryson.”
Siobhan Fisher, assistant director, citizen focus, said: “The council remains responsible for service issues for all contractors. Whether we contract out services or not, we remain responsible.”
Cllr Collins asked for an update to be provided. Laureen Donnan, interim director, corporate and support services, said she understood there was an assurance given to councillors at a recent Environment and Economy Committee meeting.
“If this is an ongoing issue and needs to be raised again, that is the committee to do it,” she stated.
Larne Lough Ulster Unionist Cllr Roy Beggs asked if the number of waste complaints has “peaked”. He continued: “One of the issues I am seeing regularly which I would expect to see are complaints about bin lorry break downs.”
The council has recently approved £3.2m funding for a fleet upgrade programme. Siobhan Fisher said: “I would imagine it is going in the right direction. Other trends, primarily what we see, are missed bin collections or debris left behind from Bryson.”
Deputy mayor Bannside DUP Cllr Tyler Hoey said he had been contacted in relation to what he described as “disruption to service” at Dunclug, in Ballymena, recently. “The excuse was restricted access but there was plenty of room to manoeuvre,” he claimed.
A spokesperson for Bryson Recycling said: “All our crews across MEA are now fully staffed and services are back to normal. Any missed collections reported to us will be dealt with through normal procedures now.”
Overall, 74 complaints were “closed” at stage one of the council’s procedure, Seven were “closed” at stage two.
The report noted of the 81 complaints received by the council, 17 responses were issued late “primarily due to delays in receiving updates from Bryson Recycling”.
Four complaints related to environmental health; Amphitheatre, Carrickfergus, two and Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, two.
The complaints regarding Amphitheatre related to customers not showering prior to use of the spa and another involved a parent eating nuts in the soft play area. The report said spa etiquette will be provided for customers before using the new spa area.
One complaint was received regarding the closure of the Seven Towers Leisure Centre due to a severe weather warning. The council also received compliments regarding the centre about pool temperatures, staff helpfulness and facilities.
Residents commended the assistance of staff at specific household recycling centres and waste helpdesk staff. One complaint remains under investigation by the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman.
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter