Frustration As Wealden Bin Strike Enters Third Week

A senior councillor has expressed frustration as Wealden District Council’s bin strike enters its third week. 

Speaking at Wealden District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Monday (May 16), Cllr Roy Galley, cabinet member for waste management, updated councillors on negotiations ongoing between the council’s waste contractor Biffa and its staff.

He said:

“The strike situation is very disappointing and the situation has got worse over the last week or two. It is a fluid and changing situation so I don’t think we can have much public debate about that today.

“I think it is particularly disappointing that we, or Biffa rather with our support, made a very generous offer to the staff, which the initial reaction seemed to be the GMB union were very pleased about. But that has not been accepted and the strike situation continues.”

“Although it is difficult and we have had something like 14,000 missed bins a day, which is horrendous, I do want to pay tribute to Biffa and to our own officers for working so hard to make it work as well as it has. They are on top of the situation and I hope very much that we will be able to resolve this.”

During the meeting it was also heard that Wealden District Council is currently withholding payment to Biffa as a result of the strike.

In light of this, Crowborough councillor Kay Moss (Ind) asked Cllr Galley whether the council would be looking to refund residents who pay for the garden bin collection service or offer them any other sort of benefit.

However, the meeting likely marks Cllr Galley’s final public appearance as a cabinet member, as incoming council leader Ann Newton is set to reshuffle responsibilities and appoint new members. 

As a result he was reluctant to comment on Cllr Moss’s question saying it would be “a matter for my successor”.