South Holland District Council hikes wages in bid to keep bin lorry drivers

The council said its services had been disrupted due to staff self-isolating and a shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers

A council has agreed to increase wages for refuse collectors in a bid to hold on to bin lorry crew amid a national shortage of HGV drivers.

South Holland District Council said it was introducing a series of measures in response to the UK-wide shortfall.

Other steps include new working patterns, training and progression opportunities.

The UK currently has a shortage of about 100,000 lorry drivers, according to the Road Haulage Association.

In September, South Holland was one of at least 18 councils across the country experiencing disruptions to their bin collection services due to staff self-isolating and a shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers.

The authority said it had "acted quickly" to address the problem, and the recommendations were designed "to reflect the importance of these teams".

It added that the measures would also reduce the reliance on agency workers.

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Councillor Roger Gambba-Jones, portfolio holder for environmental services, added: "Every single one of us benefits from the hard work they do, and ensuring they feel valued as a team and are provided with the opportunities for personal and continuing development is so important.

"These changes will help us continue to grow a skilled and dedicated workforce, and to build a resilient service to meet any further challenges that may come our way."

The shortage of HGV drivers is due to a combination of Covid, Brexit and other factors such as testing.

Some refuse collection drivers were also being poached by other businesses, some while on their rounds, according to reports.