There is a risk that Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP) will exceed its yearly budget again, following the overspend of £2.72m in 2014/15 that saw the suspension of director, Steve Burdis, and an action plan put in place to make vital savings.
The Partnership could exceed its £32.46m budget by £911,000 in 2015/16, unless action is taken, according to a report, which states is die to extra disposal costs of recyclables material, a shortfall in garden waste income and failure to achieve some savings.
The seven councils that form the partnership agreed an action plan to “urgently improve the governance and financial management” after the suspension of Partnership director Steve Burdis following a £2.8m overspend in its waste operations in March this year.
Anthony Alford, Committee chairman – “We have improved our financial reporting to the extent that we are able to have this report early in the financial year, whereas in the past that would not have been possible”
However, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, part of the seven that form the partnership, rejected the plans because it wanted DWP to “acknowledge and act upon the poor performance of the waste service in the borough as a matter of urgency”, and wanted a business case with “alternative service delivery models”.
The council has commissioned a report into the impacts of the council leaving the Partnership, which is expected towards the Autumn of this year.
DWP provides waste, recycling and street cleaning services to seven councils and was launched in 2011 with the aim of saving £2m a year.
Committee chairman Anthony Alford told BBC News: “We have improved our financial reporting to the extent that we are able to have this report early in the financial year, whereas in the past that would not have been possible.
“One major variable is the amount of waste people put out for collection. Another area of volatility concerns pricing for the materials we want to recycle. Once upon a time we would expect a substantial income from that recyclable material; now we are having to pay a cost to have it taken away.”
Nigel Mattravers – “Basically it’s not as black as it’s painted. Actually it’s good, because we’ve now got good management systems in place so that we know about it. And that means we can do something about it”
DWP is made up of Weymouth and Portland, Christchurch, East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, West Dorset and Dorset County Council.
Interim director of the Partnership and White Young Green director, Nigel Mattravers, said that while it was highlighted in the report that there was a “risk” to the budget, it is not “expected” that it will be exceed.
“This [report] is part of a better monitoring process so that we can provide an early warning of the risks so that action can be taken,” he said told CIWM Journal Online. “We’ve got a savings plan, which is being actively pursued.”
“Basically it’s not as black as it’s painted. Actually it’s good, because we’ve now got good management systems in place so that we know about it. And that means we can do something about it.
“On the one hand we have to tell everyone the bad stuff but we haven’t been able to saying anything about the good news just yet.”
One of the areas the Partnership is making good progress, according to Mattravers is the high levels of absenteeism, which was identified in the earlier reports.
“This was putting pressure on the budget because of having to use agency staff,” he said. “From 1 April we implemented new systems and its immediately showing response. Absenteeism is the lowest it’s ever been since the partnership was founded. And that’s happened in just two months.”
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