The Portfolio Holder for Cleaner & Greener introduced the report which outlined the recommendations for the fleet requirements for statutory waste collection and associated services over the following 5 years. The Portfolio Holder advised that the Cleaner & Greener Advisory Committee had also considered the same report and recommended the report be approved.

The Head of Direct Services advised Members that a new approach was sought to ensure that it would fall within the Council’s 10 year balanced budget. This would ensure that SDC could replace its oldest and most vulnerable vehicles quickly, while also taking into account delivery lead times. For 2023-24 the Council would be leasing five 26tonne Refuse Collection Vehicles which would be in service from June 2023.

The lease would run for three years and would cost £324,000 per year for all five vehicles and would be paid for from the current Vehicle Reserve allocation for years 2023-24, 2024 – 25 and 2025-26. In 2026-27 the five leased vehicles would be purchased at a cost of £625,000, after this further vehicles would be identified for replacement and leased in the same way. Over these 5 years the balance of the vehicle reserve would be used to purchase smaller fleet vehicles, which would be electric whenever possible.

Public Sector Equality Duty

Members noted that consideration had been given to impacts under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Resolved: That the 5 Year Fleet Replacement Programme 2023-28 as detailed in the report be approved.