Collections (From Barry And District News)

Collections

9:00am Thursday 4th February 2010

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

WITH reference to the letter ('Look after our Elderly,' January 21), can I firstly reassure residents that the Vale of Glamorgan Council remains committed to the accessibility of its services regardless of age or ability.

In respect of our bulky collection service, the normal service provision requires residents to place their items at the kerbside, thus satisfying our legal requirements in such matters.

In exceptional circumstances, when elderly and/or less able residents are unable to obtain the support of family or friends to assist them, we will make special arrangements to collect bulky items either from their private land or from their property.

It does appear that, in this particular case, this was not properly explained to the son of the resident for whom the service was requested.

There are valid reasons why this type of additional service can only be provided outside of our normal collection arrangements. There are issues of liability with our staff entering private property, and we may also have to undertake individual risk assessments in certain cases to ensure staff safety. We sincerely apologise to Mrs Harkin and her son for any inconvenience caused.

I very much hope that residents will not be discouraged from using our bulky items service in future, though they will understand why it is necessary to restrict our collections to items placed on the kerbside in the majority of cases.

Clifford Parish Operational Manager (Waste Management and Cleansing) Vale of Glamorgan Council

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)