Wealden District Council: Review of the structure, organisation and functions of the waste management team

The review generated multiple recommendations for structural, operational and directional changes to benefit efficiency, customer satisfaction and the environment. Implementation of the recommendations is ongoing and has already achieved significant savings, with further savings and additional income expected to achieve a net positive financial impact exceeding £250k.

The Challenge

Waste management has undergone significant changes at Wealden District Council since 2013.  It is at this time the council along with three other authorities formed the East Sussex Waste Partnership, procuring a contractor to deliver its waste collection and street cleansing services.  For Wealden, this resulted in the transfer of frontline staff from the previous direct service organisation (DSO) to the contractor and required the council’s waste management team to operate as a client, managing contractor performance alongside customer communications.

Unfortunately from early in the contract the performance of the contractor was not satisfactory, often resulting in high numbers of missed collections. The waste team, along with colleagues in the contact centre, spent a significant proportion of their time working to resolve collection issues and complaints from our customers.  Despite extensive efforts on both sides and some success to rectify this position, a negotiated and mutually agreed early termination of the contract occurred in June 2019. 

In July 2019 a new contractor was deployed with a significant improvement in performance.  Since 2013 there has also been considerable changes made to how we communicate with our customers with a Drive to Digital project deployed across all service areas enabling customers to self-serve through a website portal.  The waste team led the way with this process enabling more services than any other department to be managed digitally by customers themselves 24-7.

As a result this was considered an ideal opportunity to review the structure and operation of waste team and consider changes that can be made to use our resources effectively and efficiently with maximum impact.

The Solution

Through the engagement of an expert consultant, a detailed review was undertaken taking into account:

• Strategic priorities of the authority
• “As Is” Appraisal
• Key Driver of Performance
• Core Process Flows
• Improvement Roadmap

The consultant met and engaged with staff at all levels, including a workshop event, to review and discuss their current experiences and ideas for the future.

The review produced a report with recommendations over the following areas which have either already been implemented or are being taken forward:

• Strategy Development for the Waste Service.

1. Setting Future Targets for Waste Minimisation
2. Housing growth over the next 10 years
3. Future Capacity of Receptacles for Residual Waste Collections
4. Provision of Second Optional Wheeled Bin for Recyclates Collections:
5. Introduction of Food Waste Recycling
6. Delivery of the Climate Change Action Plan

• Re-configuration and Administration of Waste Collection Services.

1. Re-configuration of Collection Services
2. Review of the Recycling Bring Sites
3. Administration of the Garden Waste Service
4. East Sussex County Council (ESCC) Operational Interfaces

• Intelligence Gathering, Targeted Action and Linked Awareness and Promotional Work for the Waste Service.

1. Intelligence Gathering by WMT:
2. Understanding the Core Metrics of the Waste Service
3. Targeted Survey Work
4. Targeted Annual Awareness and Promotions Plan
5. Involvement of the Contractor in Data Gathering

• Re-configuration of the Street Cleansing Service.

1. Understanding the Core Metrics of the Street Cleansing Service
2. Annually Benchmarking VFM
3. Emptying and Maintaining Litter and Dog Bins
4. Joint Health and Safety Crew Checks

• Re-orientation of the Waste Management and Street Scene Teams.

1. Revised Priorities for Waste Management Team (WMT)
2. Supporting Cultural Change within the WMT
3. Incorporate and Restructure Street Scene and Waste Team

• Customer Orientation and Redesign of Processes.

1. Customer Orientation and Processes
2. Customer Service Excellence Pilot Project
3. Joint Process Review and Redesign
4. Street Cleansing Processes

• Performance Management Arrangements.

1. Current Performance Reporting
2. Re-configuration of the Contractors Annual Service Improvement Plan
3. VFM Performance Measures and Benchmarks
4. 5-Year Stretch Targets
5. Project Management Arrangements

• Schedule of Improvement Priorities and Timelines.

• Construction of the Improvement Road Map (IRM).

The impact

The review provided a welcome fresh perspective on the structure and functions of the waste management team.  It has highlighted areas where improvements and efficiencies can be made to provide for better customer experience, performance enhancement and efficiencies.

As a direct or indirect result of this review, the following changes have either been implemented or are in progress.

The above are completed or active projects however, the extent of the review and recommendations has reinvigorated the team following a difficult period managing a poorly performing contractor.  Additional actions are to follow based on the report recommendations with expected benefits to efficiencies, customer experience and environmental impact. 

How is the new approach being sustained?

Current and future actions and outcomes are reported regularly to the Senior Leadership Team as well as councillors.

Additional actions are to follow based on the report recommendations with expected benefits to efficiencies, customer experience and the environmental.  This process is being driven and sustained by full continued engagement between management and staff, also between waste management other services including:

• Digital Services (ICT)
• Finance
• Customer Services
• Housing
• Council Tax.

Since the production of this report, work is beginning on decarbonising the waste collection and street cleansing vehicle fleet with the intention of using zero emission vehicles where practical. The result will be improved environmental benefit through lower emissions and operational savings with reduced fuel and servicing costs.

The outcomes of this review have also been noted by other service areas.  A wider indirect impact has been to commence a digital review and customer journey mapping exercise for all service areas to maximise self-service capabilities for customers and the efficiencies they bring.

Lessons learned:

Apart from avoiding delivering significant changes in the future during an unprecedented global pandemic, the following are key learning points:

• Accurate current service data – to know where you want to get to, first you need to know exactly where you are.
• Engagement – Keep the staff that will ultimately be delivering the actions fully engaged with regular updates on plans and progress. Do not be afraid to ask for their ideas and opinions.  They know the service they deliver well and will usually have good suggestions for how to make service improvements.
• Planning – Detailed planning for actions is essential.  Where practical start with the actions likely to produce the most significant savings or additional income.  Do not get entrenched in detail which can slow or derail a project.
• Flexibility – Do not approach reviews with pre-determined outcomes.  Always keep an open mind to ideas and look at the potential of suggestions from all angles before deciding what direction to take.
• Look at potential obstacles as opportunities – for example the lockdown of the country during the CoVID-19 pandemic in March and April resulted in a significant increased use of our online self-service system.  The requirement for an actual office reception has almost entirely gone and, expecting this situation to continue, we are looking to benefit from the channel shift that customers have already made.

Contact:

Christopher Bone

Waste Manager

Wealden District Council

Email: [email protected]

Tanya Khatun

Leadership Coordinator

Local Government Association

[email protected]