Councillors want head to roll over recycling shambles

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

A motion of no confidence in Powys council’s cabinet member for Highways Transport and Recycling (HTR), Cllr Jackie Charlton, will be sent to the new council chairman for a decision.

Newly appointed council chairman Cllr Geoff Morgan (Reform UK – Ithon Valley) will have to decide if it can be debated at an extraordinary council meeting – or it can wait until the next meeting in July.

Opposition councillors want to see Cllr Charlton (Llangattock and Llangynidr) to be removed from her role due to the calamitous roll out of the new waste and recycling routes.

Since its implementation in March, black rubbish bins and recycling boxes have failed to be collected on time with towns and villages in the north of the Welshpool area especially affected.

Issues have continued into this month with Guilsfield seemingly becoming a fortnightly collection.

It was revealed at Powys County Council’s annual general meeting yesterday, that a motion of no confidence had already been put forward for debate at the meeting but had been blocked from being put on the agenda.

Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Aled Davies (Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant & Llansilin), asked for standing orders to be suspended in a bid to bring a motion forward for debate.

Cllr Davies said: “Is it possible to suspend standing orders because there is quite a bit of discontent about the performance of the portfolio holder for HTR.”

Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer, Clive Pinney, said: “There is no motion before this council so there is no way to do that. There is a mechanism to do this, it can’t be done at this meeting.”

As Cllr Davies pushed for the debate to be held, Mr Pinney stressed that this was “not allowed under the constitution”.

Powys Independents Joint Leader, Cllr Beverley Baynham (Presteigne), said: “Just to clarify there was a motion, but it was refused because it was the AGM.”

Mr Pinney replied: “It wasn’t refused because of the AGM, it was refused because it would have been a breach of the pre-election guidance.

“The agenda would have been published on the day before the Senedd elections, and the chairman decided it should not be discussed at this meeting.”

At the start of the election campaign, Cllr Charlton had replaced Cllr William Powell (Talgarth) - the council chairman at the time - of making the decision not to put the motion up for debate as number two on the Liberal Democrat list for the Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd constituency.

Cllr Graham Breeze (Powys Independents – Welshpool Llanerchyddol) said: “I will give notice on behalf of the independent group that a request will be sent to the chairman immediately after this meeting for him to ask the chief executive to call an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the proposals of a vote of no confidence in the portfolio holder.”

Mr Pinney said that an explanation would need to accompany the proposal explaining why the motion of no confidence could not wait until the next council meeting which takes place in July.

As an explanation for the problems, Powys council has said that staff need to get used to the new collection routes, which had not been tested before the changes came into force.

Pictured (from left): Welcoming the new Powys County Council chairman. Emma Palmer, Chief Executive; Cllr Danny Bebb, Vice Chair; Cllr Geoff Morgan the new Chair of Powys County Council; Cllr William Powell, outgoing Chair; Cllr Jake Berriman, Leader of Powys County Council; and Cllr Peter James, Assistant Vice Chair.