Overview

• Ealing Council attributes delayed bin rounds to summer holiday leave and sickness among HGV drivers and warns disruption will continue until September.
• The borough has launched active recruitment of additional drivers and initiated a pay and incentives review to bolster its workforce.
• A Government spokesman reminded local authorities that taxpayers rely on regular waste collections and urged councils to sustain vital services.
• In Birmingham, deadlocked negotiations between Unite and the city council have forced about £8 million in agency fees to maintain a minimal bin service.
• Earlier this summer, Croydon contractor failures prompted re-routed collections, highlighting broader HGV driver shortages and budget constraints across English councils.