Mansfield council to pay out more than £80,000 in compensation for missed garden waste collections caused by lockdown

A delegated decision made by portfolio holder for corporate and finance, Councillor Craig Whitby, took the decision after Mansfield District Council took the decision to suspend the collection of the district’s brown bins throughout April and early May, 2020.

The authority took the decision to facilitate the collection of household waste when the pandemic first struck with some residents missing three collections in total, a report states.

Compensation will be available to people who had signed up to the scheme, which costs each household £30 per year, during or prior to the suspension of service.

The report states that, according to council records, a total of £75,835 is claimable from residents for the missed collections – with additional printing costs of £8,405 – and a total of £84,240.

The figure has calculated the sum based on three missed collections over the period, totalling £4.44 loss to each home from the £30 paid, and the authority has taken the decision to round the figure up to £5 per household, the report states.

Money will be made available from the authority’s revenue budget and will be supported by financial grants made available from central government to support the council through the coronavirus pandemic.

The council is now in the process of writing to all 15,000-plus eligible households in the district to notify them of the decision.

People who pay by direct debit will have the money reduced from their next annual direct debit payment, while the council will try to reimburse the funds directly to residents who paid on card as long as their banking details have not changed.

If they have, residents will need to contact the authority and provide up-to-date banking details.

For those who paid by PayPoint, they will need to fill out an online form and provide their bank details – or complete and return the paper form attached to the letter which is being sent to every affected household.

The pandemic 'created many challenges in delivering council services’, the report states.

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