Rutland County Council bin lorry fleet in line for £2m investment

The council says it has seven main waste collection vehicles and another two on standby

Councillors in Rutland are set to vote on whether to spend more than £2m on new refuse vehicles.

The county council said its current fleet was ageing, which had led to breakdowns and collection disruptions.

Its cabinet said the purchase of 15 vehicles would allow significant savings compared to leasing.

The proposals will be decided at full council on 4 September, with the vehicles due to be in operation by May 2024.

A report to the authority said long waiting times to have vehicles delivered meant a decision had to be made now to get the vehicles in operation by next spring.

'Issues and delays'

The council's waste collection fleet includes nine collection lorries and 10 other vehicles for street cleansing services and bulky collections.

Of these 19 vehicles, 15 need replacing at an expected cost of £2.069m, the report said.

Christine Wise, cabinet member for the environment, said: "Our main priority is to ensure that the waste and recycling service that our residents receive is improved and to a standard that they deserve.

"We understand that due to ageing vehicles there have been some issues and delays in collections and therefore by ensuring that we are investing in new vehicles we aim to address and resolve these problems."