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In communication that customers will receive from today (28 February 2022), the council told customers they would receive a reduced subscription rate of £40 for 2022-23, marking a £10 discount off last year’s £50 rate as compensation for the disruption in service.
Councillor Mike Solomon, North Somerset Council’s executive member for neighbourhoods and community services, said: "We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by the cancellation and rescheduling of some garden waste collections last year.
“We did our best to keep the service running during extremely challenging circumstances, as a result of national aftershocks felt from Covid-19 and the shortage of HGV drivers. At times we had no option but to suspend collections.
“I’d like to take the opportunity to thank residents for their support during what has been a very challenging time.
“I believe that the compensation given to garden waste customers is fair and proportionate. We also haven’t applied any increase for inflation.
“Together with our partner North Somerset Environment Company, we are doing everything we can to make sure that garden waste collections will resume in full in April 2022 and avoid further service interruptions.
“We really couldn't ask for a more dedicated team out on the rounds and I am very grateful to all of them for everything they continue to do. We still have staff shortages though and continue to work hard to find ways to remedy the national recruitment crisis locally. I encourage anyone interested to apply to join this fantastic team.”
North Somerset Council currently has a selection of job vacancies in its waste management team including HGV drivers, loaders and waste and recycling centres operatives. Those interested in finding out more and applying should visit: www.n-somerset.gov.uk/jobs
Garden waste customers do not need to re-register for the service until after Easter. The council will write to customers again by the end of March with further details.
Garden waste will continue to be collected until customers re-register. Customers are asked to leave their current permits in place on garden waste containers.
The 2021-22 service was scheduled to finish at the end of March 2022 and will now end on Friday 17 June 2022. This extra time acts as compensation for those who decide not to re-register for 2022-23.
The frequency of garden waste collections will be every four weeks until Friday 8 April 2022. From Monday 11 April 2022 they will return to every two weeks, in line with the usual pattern of garden waste collections.
New collection calendars will be published shortly but customers can check their current garden waste collection dates on the council’s website: www.n-somerset.gov.uk/calendar
Visit the council’s website for further information about its garden waste scheme: www.n-somerset.gov.uk/gardenwaste
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