Councils pledge to secure the service residents expect
Following recent delays to waste and recycling collections in Tonbridge and Malling and Tunbridge Wells, council leaders Nicolas Heslop and Tom Dawlings today released the following joint statement:
‘We are very concerned about the issues that some residents are experiencing with the waste collection service and apologise to those who are affected. We are in discussions with our contractor, Urbaser, about resolving these problems and delivering the waste collection and recycling service our residents expect.
‘Both councils expect Urbaser to meet its contractual obligations in full and we are issuing financial penalties for poor performance where appropriate and in accordance with the terms of the contract.
‘We will continue to apply pressure at senior levels at Urbaser to ensure the contract terms are delivered and will consider all options available to achieve that objective.’
Kent County Council and all Kent's Borough Councils are set to be replaced by 3 or 4 unitary authorities, with next May's local elections possibly abandoned.