Residents hit back after Leeds councillor blames working from home for missed bin collections

Senior city councillor Mohammed Rafique said cars being parked on streets all day made it harder for bin crews to access some areas. But he praised the service provided by staff as “exemplary”, with less than 0.2 per cent of all collections missed across the last calendar year.

The issue was raised at a council scrutiny meeting on Thursday morning.

YEP readers and local residents have hit back at these claims, insisting that there are a lot more issues than just home working.

Gaynor Louise Bainbridge said: “The issue is much much worse than what they have on paper. They regularly miss whole streets out on our estate.

"And yes there's more cars on the streets but if you came once people had actually gone to work instead of 6-7am when people are just leaving, there wouldn't be. Stop blaming everyone and everything but yourselves.”

Tracie Allen suggested that more needed to bed done on both sides to manage the situation when cars have blocked a route.

She said: “They are "wheelie" bins pretty self explanatory and maybe just wheel that bin a little further (both parties) and boom you have empty ones.

"Thank goodness its not the 1970s when a bin was carried and emptied manually. Why can't everyone just be a little more responsible instead of bone idle.”

Councillor Rafique said the refuse service had improved its performance in 2022, after acknowledging there were “difficulties” in the late summer of 2021.

A spate of missed collections around that time was blamed on a rise in household waste from home deliveries and annual leave being taken by crews, as Covid restrictions ended.

Other residents called on better enforcement to deal with cars that block key routes.

Jeremy Portland said: “There are laws to deal with inconsiderate parking, they just need enforcement. Fine vehicles obstructing junctions and blocking roads. Simple.”

Meanwhile Ian Mallett said: “How many know that parking more than 6 inch's from the curb is classed as an obstruction and carries a fine.”