Council leader quits amid bins controversy

Ian Roberts raised concerns about the level of reaction to planned bin collection changes, before resigning

A council leader has stepped down from his role with immediate effect amid a backlash over changes to the frequency of bin collections.

The decision by Labour’s Ian Roberts was announced by Flintshire council on Tuesday, after he held the position for more than five years.

Mr Roberts had earlier tried to reach a compromise, but a bid to stop controversial plans by the Labour-led administration to introduce three-weekly black bin collections was rejected.

Mr Roberts told a meeting some councillors had been “verbally abused in the street and on social media and are now not comfortable going out within their own communities” over the plans.

He said a senior council officer received a death threat.

The proposed change from fortnightly collections to three-weekly had been criticised.

A WhatsApp message was sent to Labour members later in the meeting on Tuesday, informing them of his intention to quit, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.

Mr Roberts was then seen handing a note to the council’s chief executive Neal Cockerton, before leaving the room.

The authority said deputy leaders Dave Hughes and Christine Jones would temporarily take on his role.

More than 3,300 people signed a petition against changes to bin collections and concerns were raised that it would see large piles of rubbish dumped in the streets, odour issues and vermin.

Officers previously recommended a switch to monthly collections in an attempt to improve recycling rates in the county after being threatened with a fine of £1.2m by the Welsh government for repeatedly missing targets.

Mr Roberts tabled a late amendment earlier this month to change the frequency to three-weekly to try and reach a compromise.

But he said “some of the language that’s been used in this debate concerns me very greatly and the social media storm that’s arisen because of this concerns me as well”.

“As members across this chamber, we should not be wantonly stoking this fire,” he added.

“This proposal is not life changing.”

Flintshire is not the only area facing refuse controversy, with more than half of Welsh councils likely to cut bin collections to once every three or four weeks.

Call for 'serious shake-up'

Mr Roberts was originally appointed council leader in April 2019, taking over from Aaron Shotton.

A councillors' group called Flintshire People’s Voice said there should be a “serious shake-up” after casting doubt over the existing administration’s abilities, adding: “We have serious concerns about the level of competence within the Labour cabinet and believe a full overhaul must be the new leader’s first item of business.

“Equally, the new leader cannot be someone whose fingerprints are all over the disasters of the last few months.”.

Liberal Democrat councillors also welcomed Mr Roberts’s resignation, describing the bin decision as “shambolic”.

Mr Roberts and the Labour group were asked to comment.