Coventry City Council is set to review proposals to make changes within its waste collection service in the coming months.
The changes are designed to help improve the service by making it more responsive to the changing needs of the city.
The main change will be the creation of a single set of terms and conditions for officers working in the service. No changes will be made to the method and frequency of waste collections.
Modernising the service will allow the Council to establish a clear set of working patterns and ensure that its resources are being deployed in an effective manner.
Cllr Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources, said: “As a Council we have a duty to ensure that we’re deploying our resources in a way that ensures that we’re doing the best job we can and providing the best services for our residents.
“Our waste service is very good and it’s full of employees who work very hard. However, we believe it can and should be even more efficient which is why we’re proposing these changes – to achieve best in class.
“Crucially, these changes allow us to keep the service in house. Other local authorities have outsourced their waste services in recent years but that wasn’t a route we wanted to take.”
Cllr Patricia Hetherton, Cabinet Member for City Services, said: “We want Coventry to be a fantastic place to live, work and visit which is why we want to operate a best-in-class waste service that caters to the needs of our residents.
“Part of achieving that aim is modernising our existing service. These changes will help us do that and they’ll complement the forward-thinking investment in infrastructure like the materials recycling facility.
“We think it’s really important that we keep our waste collection service in house – but we also need to modernise the service. By avoiding outsourcing, staff will remain council employees with the right and proper benefits that brings – fair pay for a fair days work, sick pay, and pension provision.”
After the plans go to Full Council for approval, a consultation will take place with trade unions and employees within the service.