Has that wheelie happened? Bin records slip-up due to IT error

Hundreds of duplicate records have been discovered in the list of West Norfolk residents who have brown garden waste bins, it has emerged.

Figures presented to a borough council panel this week also showed a slight fall in the number of bins in circulation.

And the authority’s leadership has been advised to consider offering discounts to residents to potentially encourage them to have more than one bin.

Data contained in a report to the council’s environment and community panel, which met at Lynn town hall on Tuesday, said there were 26,451 brown bins being used for composting in West Norfolk during the third quarter of the 2018-19 financial year.

That figure is down 197 on the total for the end of 2017-18 and more than 500 short of the authority’s stated target of having 27,000 in use by the end of 2018-19.

But the document also said: “A recent data cleansing operation identified approximately 1,900 duplicate records. The problem has arisen from an IT system error.

“Budget monitoring indicates the service will finish the financial year in surplus.”

But panel members, who were meeting for the final time ahead of next month’s elections, felt ways could be found of making the bins more attractive to residents.

One, Tony Bubb, asked whether a discount, perhaps of up to 50 per cent off the normal £55.30 annual price, could be offered to householders who used a second bin, suggesting that residents would be able to use them effectively.

Chairman Colin Sampson added: “Certainly people who use them really do use them so a little sweetener for a second bin may be worth it.”

Ian Devereux, the authority’s cabinet member for environment, indicated the idea could be pursued.

He said: “If we can make more money for little cost, it would be worth it.”