LEADING Southend councillors have thrown out plans to introduce wheelie bins and fortnightly rubbish collections in favour of a £1.5 million search to find a waste contractor.

Labour, Lib Dem and Independent leaders yesterday ignored officers’ recommendations to renew the council’s waste contract with Veolia, which include plans for bins for recycling and waste collected on alternate weeks.

Instead, they opted to put the contract out to tender to explore what other options might come forward, with instructions for candidates to “recognise the popularity with residents of the current scheme, and explore the viability of maintaining it”.

Carole Mulroney, Lib Dem councillor responsible for environment, culture, tourism and planning, hit back at criticism levelled at the council for initially planning to hold all of the meeting in private.

She said this was due to the legal advice the council had been given and rules on confidential information, which she said had subsequently been broken.

Slamming social media posts and “inflammatory headlines”, she said: “This is potentially damaging for this and any future administration and for future discussions with any contractor and in my view brings this council into disrepute.

“We could be seen by all with whom we do business not to be trusted with their information or confidential advice we are given.

“It’s a legacy that will follow into any administration in this council.

“What a great legacy for a new city. It may also have seriously jeopardised the position of the council in future negotiations on this particular topic but perhaps that was the intention.

“How short-sighted can you be. For what purpose? To try to score cheap political points at the expense of the whole council’s future credibility.”

Ms Mulroney, who represents Leigh on Southend Council, added: “We’ve seen a sharp increase in domestic refuse as people work from home and increases in flytipping exacerbated by home deliveries which become more and more prevalent. We need the legislation to improve the situation so that everyone knows where they stand and it’s been sadly lacking and disappointing.

“However we now have a new Environment Act which will change the way we view, react and are obliged to handle waste and its collection and disposal.

“Our biggest challenge environmentally and financially is to put an end to residual waste, the black bag rubbish, going to landfill.”

Ms Mulroney stressed: “Change is coming whether we like it or not.

“Southend Council issues 11 million pink sacks a year - that’s the equivalent of taking 4,000 cars off the road.”

Officers have been instructed to temporarily extend Veolia’s contract beyond October 2023 if required.

Cabinet also agreed that any new contract should support the move to carbon neutrality by 2030.

The new proposal to go out to tender will now go through the council’s scrutiny process before

The current recycling rate in Southend is 44 per cent. Every 1 per cent of waste that doesn’t go to landfill and is recycled saves taxpayers approximately £120,000 a year. A 10 per cent improvement in recycling rates would save £1.2m a year.

The contract should also aim to reduce waste to landfill, maximise the use of sustainable fuels, provide the best customer and digital experience for residents, consider whether the waste disposal contract should be included as part of the same process and consider the inclusion of a commercial waste offering.