Decision details

Date of Decision:

13^th April, 2026

Title:

Business Waste Fees and Charges 2026-27

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Sam Barstow, Service Director, Community Safety & Street Scene

Details of Specific Delegation

or

Delegation contained in the relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.

At its September 2024 meeting, Cabinet agreed to:

Delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Community Safety and Street Scene, in conjunction with:

• the relevant Cabinet Member, and
• the Section 151 Finance Officer,

to set fees, charges, and vary prices for the Business Waste Service

Decision:

The fees and charges for the Business Waste service for 2025-2026.

The decision is made by Service Director Sam Barstow as agreed by cabinet previously for services with a commercial interest.

The decision will be a variable pricing structure dependant on collection receptacle, tonnage, and frequency. With the option for the business waste officer to be flexible with certain parameters to agree individual pricing to attract and retain customers.

This is a key decision which is made outside of the normal fees and charges setting process due to the commercial nature of the service the Council offers.

An overall price increase of 3.8% will be applied to the pricing structure, in line with the Council’s approved fees and charges uplift for 2026/2027.

Reasons for the Decision:

The business waste service had a full review of operations, costs, processes, and procedures. Specifically for determining a new pricing structure. Finance colleagues have worked fully with the service to produce the pricing structure, which ensures a full accurate pricing mechanism to ensure best value for the customers and the Council.

As a result, changes to the pricing for the Business waste service are needed to cover the costs of running the service.

This year, with the introduction of films and flexibles recycling, the figures were reviewed again to ensure that all costs continue to be covered and that the service remains competitive while delivering the best value for customers and the Council. This decision is considered the best approach to encourage future service growth.

The recommended decision is to follow the pricing guide set out in Appendix 1 (Pricing Model Briefing), which is exempt from publication.

Updated financial modelling has been undertaken to support the 2026/27 Business Waste fees and charges. The workings remain indicative at this stage and will be incorporated into a formal monitoring template for the next financial year to ensure the service can accurately track performance and determine the required pricing position for 2027/28, ensuring full cost recovery.

The proposed 3.8% uplift for 2026/27 reflects the costs currently known and is based on the following key operational assumptions:

·       An estimated increase of 100 additional customers (approximately 13% growth).

·       No requirement for agency staffing within the service.

·       No use of spare vehicles, with operations delivered using existing fleet.

These assumptions represent operational risks which must be noted as part of this decision. If these conditions are not fully realised during 2026/27, there is a potential financial gap in the service’s operating position. In such circumstances, the Business Waste service would be required to apply further pricing increases in 2027/28 to ensure the service continues to cover all direct costs and overheads.

These risks, and the resulting potential pressure on future pricing, are therefore explicitly recorded within this ODR.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

There are no other viable alternatives available.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

None

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Conflicts of interest declared by the Decision Maker if they sit as a Cabinet appointed representative to an outside body which relates to the decision:

None

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Reports or parts of reports relevant to the decision being taken:

Business Waste Cabinet report, September 2024, 5.4 & 5.5

It is proposed that this authority is continued to be granted to the Service Director (previously Assistant Director) of Community Safety and Street Scene

Pricing Model Briefing – Appendix 1 (Commercially sensitive information, not for publication)