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28
Aug
Council to review waste collections in Harrogate after increase in missed bins
North Yorkshire Council is set to review its waste collections in the Harrogate area amid concern over missed bins.
Last week, the authority reported that the number of missed collections in North Yorkshire increased from 3,665 in the final quarter of last year to 6,863 in the first quarter of 2025/26 — an 87% rise.
In a performance report, council officials said the reason for the increase was a “higher number of missed bins” in the Harrogate area, which was due to new collection rounds introduced in April.
Now, Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, said the authority is set to review its waste arrangements in the area.
In a letter to Cllr Kathryn Davies, of Knaresborough Town Council, Mr Flinton said the review aimed to “improve service delivery for both staff and residents”.
Cllr Davies had previously written to the council raising concern over missed collections in the area.
Mr Flinton said:
The implementation of the 4-day working model in the Harrogate locality required a comprehensive round optimisation project, which led to changes in collection schedules across the area.
Following implementation, local management has continued to monitor and review the new arrangements. As part of this ongoing process, further optimisation has been identified and is scheduled for implementation in early October. This review aims to address current challenges and improve service delivery for both staff and residents.
Mr Flinton added the review would also look at measures "to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future".
Cllr Richard Foster.
The move comes as Cllr Richard Foster, Conservative executive member for managing our environment, apologised for the missed collections at a meeting last week.
He said:
In the Harrogate area, we have had some issues with rounds and we can only apologise to residents for that.
Cllr Foster added that lessons had been learned over the rollout and promised that issues with the service would be “ironed out”.
The council introduced new collection rounds in April, which included a four-day week for refuse workers and an end to Monday collections.
In a statement issued at the time, the authority said the decision to end Monday collections was part of its harmonisation agenda across North Yorkshire and would ensure the service “remains as efficient as possible”.
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