Residents in some parts of Ealing have been left frustrated this week as bin collections were disrupted due to an ongoing shortage of staff, with Ealing Council blaming challenges in recruiting and retaining drivers.
The borough’s refuse and recycling services are delivered by Greener Ealing Ltd, an in-house company wholly owned by Labour-run Ealing Council. In recent days, locals in areas including Acton have reported delayed collections, prompting concerns over household waste piling up.
On Ealing Council’s Facebook page, one resident warned: “Failure to collect will lead to fly tipping.” Another urged the council to increase pay for its drivers and refuse collectors to help tackle the problem.
In an update posted on its website, Ealing Council acknowledged the disruption, citing a shortage of drivers as the cause. The council said that collection rounds are being deployed later than usual, and that any roads missed on their scheduled day would be prioritised for collection the following day. Households have been advised to leave their missed bins out for collection.
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, an Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “We are sorry about the delays that are occurring to bin collections due to driver shortage and the impact it is having on residents. This is because a number of staff are currently off sick and, in addition, as it is the summer holiday period many staff are on leave, which we anticipate lasting until September when the holidays have finished.”
They added: “To address this issue we are actively recruiting more staff. We also employ a number of HGV drivers, which are highly sought after across various industries, including supermarket deliveries, and consequently they are likely to be attracted by companies that are able to offer higher salaries. This is an ongoing issue and we are reviewing salaries and other incentives for staff.”
But opposition councillors say the problems are part of a wider pattern of mismanagement and underfunding. Councillor Gary Malcolm, leader of Ealing Liberal Democrats, criticised the Labour-run council’s handling of vital services.
He said: “Liberal Democrats believe that Ealing Council often has poor relations with a number of its contractors who provide vital services for households like waste collection, street cleansing and tree pruning.”
Councillor Malcolm added: “Cuts that the Labour party have made to street services means many of our streets are dirty and full of leaves in autumn. Those cuts possibly mean there is little leeway when morale is lower or staff are ill. Liberal Democrats say that it needs to work more effectively with Greener Ealing so problems are small bumps and do not lead to bigger issues.”
While the council says recruitment efforts are ongoing, no timeline has been provided for when bin collections will return to normal.
