Agenda item
Ubico Presentation
Purpose
The Committee will receive a business plan and performance presentation at the meeting from Ubico.
Recommendation(s)
The Committee is asked to note the contents of the presentation and to then take a decision on whether a Task and Finish Group in relation to waste collection should be established.
Minutes:
The officers started by introducing themselves virtually.
The Ubico Senior Operations Manager introduced the Ubico performance report. His presentation included the introduction of a new in-cab system which was used to improve services, the impact of Coronavirus related absences, fuel shortages in 2021 and the increase in demand for the collection of waste from fly tipping which has increased by 90% since 2020.
It was explained by the officer that a number of improvements have been made possible by the introduction of the in-cab system. In particular, missed collections have fallen by 40% and are on a continued downward trend.
It was noted to the Committee that whilst there is a reduction in the tonnage of household waste and recycling collected, there was an increase in tonnage collected from garden waste and street sweeping operations.
The Committee asked for clarification in relation to the use of agency drivers and temporary staff, and if there is plan to reduce the use of agency staff in the future.
The Managing Director took the question and explained to the Committee that they try to keep a reserve of company staff to ensure that services can be performed. This work was ongoing to increase resilience.
Furthermore, it was outlined that there was an increase in driver’s salaries by way of a market forces supplement to encourage the retention of staff and to recruit new staff. There was also work undertaken to provide additional training to ensure that workers are highly qualified.
The Committee wished to clarify the definition of missed collection and the current policy under Ubico.
The Senior Operations Manager explained to the Committee that a missed collection was one that was not collected by the cut-off time at 5pm in the afternoon on the scheduled collection day. It was noted that multiple missed collections would alert management and they would put improvement measures in place to resolve any issues.
The Committee wished to know what measures are in place to protect against competitors attracting staff to move away from Ubico.
The Senior Operations Manager explained to the Committee that whilst there had been instances of this practice, many staff had subsequently returned to Ubico and there was confidence that this would not present an ongoing issue.
The Committee wished to know more about the DVLA Green Status as mentioned in the presentation and crew inspections.
The Senior Operations Manager explained that this status related to complying with regulatory standards for vehicles and fleet management to ensure roadworthiness and efficiency. Crew inspections were carried out on a regular basis, and included basic vehicle checks, documentation for crews and crew personal protective equipment.
The Committee wished to know more about the increase in fly tipping and what specific items were being collected.
It was noted by the Business Manager (Publica) that builders waste and DIY waste were examples amongst many different types of waste that are illegally dumped and this breakdown hadn’t changed as a result of the pandemic.
The Committee wished to know about staff absences and the reasons behind them. There was also a request to have comparative statistics for absences with other providers.
The Managing Director explained to the Committee that absence was usually due to personal health rather than anything arising from work. It was noted as an action to seek to provide comparative statistics for absences for other providers and how this might be shared.
The Managing Director then proceeded with the second part of the presentation, which was the Ubico Business Plan for 2022/23.
The Business Plan timeline was outlined to the Committee and the Managing Director explained how the different shareholder representatives engaged with this process.
It was noted that a number of schemes were being introduced to improved Ubico’s position as an attractive employer and to improve staff training and development. Furthermore, a number of company projects were explained which included a commitment to climate change and operational efficiency measures
The Committee wished to know how Ubico will respond to challenges such as the rise in inflation. The cost of electrification of the Ubico vehicle fleet was also a concern raised, and the Committee wished to understand how the Ubico fleet compares with other providers.
The Managing Director outlined to the Committee that any cost control issues required consultation with the partners. In addition, work was being carried out with the Deputy Chief Executive to prepare for any financial challenges.
On the question of the electrification of the vehicle fleet, it was explained that the technology was still in the development phase. The Business Manager (Publica) also explained that all technologies were being considered and needed to work with the challenges of a rural area like the Cotswolds.
The Committee asked that Ubico examine the use of uniforms worn outside of work for Ubico due to the likely contamination risk from the type of work that is undertaken.
The Managing Director made a note of this issue and would take this back to the company to see how this might be addressed.
The Committee also wished for Ubico to note the issue of Royal Agricultural University students and the problem of waste collection in this area, which has not been addressed.
The Business Manager (Publica) noted the problem and confirmed that the Contracts Team would investigate and take appropriate action.
RESOLVED: The Committee has noted the presentation from Ubico and, following a meeting of the Committee to discuss the future work programme, the decision for setting up a task and finish group for waste collection would be confirmed.
The Committee was then paused briefly for a short interval.