Memorandum
5 June 2023
To:
All local boards
Subject:
Further information on proposed rubbish bin reductions implementation
From:
Taryn Crewe, General Manager Parks and Community Facilities
Purpose
To provide local boards with an update on the savings adopted for optimisation savings in parks
maintenance, which was consulted on as part of the Annual Budget 2023/2024; and invite local
boards to give feedback and insights, if any, regarding the attached implementation proposal for
rubbish bin reductions.
Summary
1.
The Governing Body directed staff to achieve operational cost reductions and to consider
optimising and reducing full facility maintenance contracts as part of these savings.
2.
While the Governing Body is responsible for full facility maintenance contracts and
minimum service levels and setting of budget, local boards have a role in setting the local
service levels and keeping oversight on maintenance.
3.
Due to this complex allocation of responsibilities between the Governing Body and local
boards, the savings identified from these contracts have not been factored into the $16m
proposed and consulted on from local board budgets.
4.
One area with potential for cost-effective savings is the maintenance of rubbish bins. This
memo provides local boards with the staff proposal on achieving part of the $5m savings
region-wide through a reduction in bins. (Attachment A)
5.
Local boards are invited to give provide insights on locations in the proposal, focusing on
local board-specific lists. Any concerns can be discussed directly with their Area
Operations Managers and informal feedback to them is requested by 16 June 2023. If it is
determined some of the proposed bins should not be removed, alternatives will need to be
agreed.
6.
Updated local board budget allocations for maintenance will be provided to local boards
as part of their annual work programme discussions. As per standard practice, local
boards will set high-level outcomes for these budgets as part of its work programme
adoption. Any decisions to top-up budgets and increase outcomes will need to be made
as part of the work programmes approval and funded from an identified budget line.
Context
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7.
The Mayoral direction in late 2022 and Governing Body meeting on 15 December directed
staff to achieve operational cost reductions of approximately $12m and to consider as part of
those savings optimising and reducing full facility maintenance contracts as part of these
reductions. (GB/2022/134, resolution b(i)(c)).
8.
Full facilities maintenance contracts are agreements with third-party providers responsible
for the maintaining and preserving of council assets throughout the region. These contracts
are structured on a regional and subregional level to leverage economies of scale and
represent a significant portion of council budgets making them prime candidates for review
and optimisation when there is a need to find savings.
9.
While these contracts are funded from multiple funding sources. including contributions from
all 21 local boards, it is important to note that the Governing Body holds the ultimate
decision-making responsibility for the contracts with respect to budget and minimum service
levels.
10. Staff acknowledge that due to the fast-paced nature of the budget savings exercise and the
complex and overlapping responsibilities between the Governing Body and local boards,
they have primarily focused on discussions with the Governing Body. Consequently, the
anticipated savings from these contracts have been accounted for separately in the budget
and not included in the calculation of the consultation document proposal of $16m target
(5% of local budgets) that is being requested from local boards. This was noted with local
board members at a briefing with the Financial and Business Performance Department on 5
May.
Staff review of the full facilities contracts
11. Staff assessed aspects of the five full facility maintenance contracts to identify cost-effective
savings that minimised the risk and impact on the communities’ use and enjoyment of parks,
facilities and town centres. The assessment considered specific criteria in different areas.
12. Three areas of potential savings were identified: number of bins, garden maintenance and
turf maintenance. The expected savings from the cost of these maintenance contracts
through efficiencies in these areas have been calculated to be approximately $5m per
annum overall and has not been apportioned per local board at this time as pricing is being
confirmed with Suppliers.
Bin reduction proposal
13. The review identified that there are currently over 10,000 bins throughout the Auckland
region. Through careful assessment, it was determined that a 30% reduction in the number
of rubbish bins has the potential to yield ongoing savings of approximately $1.5m per
annum, while still maintaining an acceptable level of quality in local parks, sports fields and
town centres.
14. The staff proposal for implementing cost savings in this area took into account various
factors. Areas considered to be good candidates for a reduced bin service include areas
that;
• have multiple bins in close proximity to each other
• are low usage areas and locations where users are more likely to carry out their own
rubbish (pack in/pack out), and
• neighbourhood parks that receive active care and attention from residents.
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15. Areas that need to be prioritised for bin retention (no or less reductions) include:
• places with amenities that encourage users to spend extended periods of time, such
as shelters, toilets, destination or large-scale playgrounds, carparks and sports
infrastructure
• locations associated with activities that generate rubbish such as popular dog parks,
BBQ areas and community venues
• destination sites including popular beaches, centres of community events / activities
and destination parks
• areas co-located with other infrastructure such as bus stops in the streetscape.
16. These considerations have informed the proposed reductions and site-specific proposals
outlined in
Attachment A.
Anticipated impacts, risks and mitigation
17. The existing full facility maintenance contracts include a loose litter collection service, which
operates alongside the bin collection and other maintenance services to ensure the
cleanliness and hygiene in public spaces. There are no proposed changes to this service
level, so it is anticipated that this service will play a role in mitigating any potential adverse
effects of reducing bins in affected areas which is considered a low risk due to selection
criteria. The loose litter collection service not only manages loose litter but helps minimise
the risk of pests that may be attracted to litter in the absence of bins.
18. We recognise that customers’ perception of service quality may be influenced by the
proposed reduction in the number of bins and expect that this may result in an increase in
customer complaints. By closely monitoring parks and facilities user feedback, staff can
assess the actual impact of the proposal and take appropriate measures to address
concerns or issues that arise and manage the number of complaints that we receive.
19. Minor additional costs may be necessary to cover the installation of signage and messaging
that encourages members of the public and facility users to take their rubbish and recycling
home. Staff will look for opportunities to cover these costs, if any, from other existing
budgets, as they allow.
20. Bins removed will also be stored if in good condition to be reused when bins are renewed.
21. The reduction in bins will likely have a subsequent impact on waste collection requirements
with less collection needs and transport requirements. Staff consider this as beneficial due to
the potential for reduced carbon emissions.
Next Steps
Request for feedback on operational details of the proposal
22. We acknowledge that the lists provided in Attachment A have not been discussed in detail
with local boards to date. Therefore, we invite local boards to review their respective lists
and provide feedback and insights to their Parks and Community Facilities Area Operations
Manager. This feedback will be valuable in the refining the operational specifications that will
need to be negotiated with our partners prior to implementation.
23. We also acknowledge that this level of information is fine grained and operational, so staff
are not seeking a formal local board decision. Rather, the feedback can be informal and
provided directly to the relevant staff.
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24. We want to assure local boards that this staff proposal has been developed with the local
service levels and performance measures outlined in your local board plans in mind. We do
not expect that these will be significantly impacted by this optimisation proposal.
Adoption of maintenance budget allocations in work programmes
25. As part of the proposed work programmes for FY23/24, local boards will be asked to adopt
their maintenance budget allocations, the level of which will have been set and agreed upon
by the Governing Body. These budget allocations for each local board will be adjusted to
reflect the anticipated savings outlined in this memo.
26. If a local board objects to any service level reductions required by the Governing Body, they
can raise and maintain these levels through topping up budgets. If a local board wishes to
maintain the bins proposed to be removed, they need to identify additional funding from
another budget line to meet the required maintenance costs.
27. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Page 4
Memorandum
6 October 2023
To:
Local Board Chairs Forum
Subject:
Supporting information on regional bin reduction
From:
Dr Claudia Wyss, Director Customer & Community Services
Contact information:
[email address]
Purpose
1.
To provide legal advice on the Governing Body decision to reduce the number of rubbish
bins across the Auckland region, in response to a request received at the Local Board
Chairs Forum on 14 August 2023.
Summary
2.
The request received at the Local Board Chairs Forum sought clarity on the al ocation of
decision making between local boards and the Governing Body as it relates to the decision
on bin reduction.
3.
Advice from Legal Services has confirmed that the regional reduction could be undertaken
by staff through Chief Executive delegation from the Governing Body because:
a) there would be no impact on service levels to the public,
b) the intention to reduce the overal regional provision of rubbish bins was noted in al
material provided to the Governing Body, and in public consultation material, and
c) the Governing Body has decision making responsibility for the procurement of major
service deliver contracts, as wel as for the setting of regional activities and minimum
service levels for local activities.
4.
The decision was made in the context of Annual Budget pressures and macroeconomic
factors. Staff were operating at pace in response to the strong need to find savings that
could be implemented on 1 July 2023. The 30% reduction in bins across the region has
resulted in $1.5 mil ion of savings.
5.
Staff acknowledge the importance of timely communications and advice to local boards.
Learnings have been noted in the context of the Long-term Plan process, to al ow for the
exploration of alternate options and to jointly approach these topics in future.
Context
6.
On 15 December 2022, the Governing Body resolved to progress a proposed $12 mil ion of
operating savings, including through the optimisation of, or minor reductions to, open space
levels of service delivered through the Parks and Community Facilities ful facility
maintenance contracts (GB/2022/134(b)). The reduction in the number of bins formed part of
these savings required to be realised under the Chief Executive Delegations.
7.
The proposal of a 30% reduction in bins to achieve $1.5 mil ion in savings was detailed in
the staff advice prepared to support the Mayoral Proposal (Appendix E, page 8), published
on 15 December 2022.
Page 1
8.
The proposal was detailed in the Annual Budget Consultation Document (page 30), under
‘What we are doing now’ to provide context of initiatives underway, rather than as an item
open for consultation and feedback.
9.
This was again confirmed in the Final Mayoral Proposal, published on 8 June 2023
(Appendix A, page 14).
Discussion
10. Legal advice has confirmed that the regional reduction could by undertaken by staff through
Chief Executive delegation from the Governing Body because there would be no impact on
service levels to the public.
11. Schedule 3 of the Al ocation of Decision-Making table (below) provides that the Governing
Body has decision making responsibility for the procurement of major service delivery
contracts (such as maintenance, security, and cleaning contracts) for Auckland-wide local
assets and facilities on a coordinated basis.
12. The Governing Body also has decision making responsibility for the setting of regional
activities and minimum service levels for local activities where the Governing Body decides
to do so for policy reasons.
Service level impacts
13. Parks and Community Facilities staff are working to ensure that there is no change in
service level to the public. Area Operations Managers have worked with local boards, using
local knowledge and insights to make sure the right bins are removed.
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14. There are currently 10,000 bins across the region. An assessment has been completed to
identify bins that are underutilised, and areas where the number of bins exceed what is
required for the agreed level of service.
15. The impact of service level change to the public has been further mitigated through the
requirement in ful facility contracts to pick up loose litter, to ensure that public spaces are
tidy and hygienic.
16. Bins have been identified for removal according to the fol owing criteria:
Located in a natural setting where users are more likely to pack in / pack out their
rubbish e.g., bush or wetland parks.
Located in lower use neighbourhood parks or low use sections of parks.
Not co-located with other infrastructure e.g., bus stops in the streetscape.
17. Adequate provision of bins wil be prioritised in areas that:
have assets that encourage users to spend extended periods of time e.g., shelters,
toilets, suburb/destination scale playgrounds, carparking, sports infrastructure,
have high rubbish producing activities e.g., popular dog parks, BBQs, community
facilities,
are destination sites e.g., popular beaches, centres of community events/activities,
destination parks,
have bins co-located with other infrastructure e.g., bus stops in the streetscapes.
18. The decision was made in the context of Annual Budget pressures and macroeconomic
factors. Staff were operating at pace in response to the strong need to find savings that
could be implemented on 1 July 2023. Staff acknowledge the feedback from local boards on
the process and timeframes.
19. There is an opportunity for local boards to retain the current bin numbers through LDI Opex
al ocation. Staff are currently working with local boards that have chosen to proceed with this
option.
Next steps
20. Through increased local board decision making, there is an opportunity for local boards to
retain the current bin numbers through LDI Opex al ocation. Staff are currently working with
local boards that have chosen to proceed with this option.
21. Staff are progressing with the removal of identified bins in al other local board areas.
22. Opportunities to jointly approach these topics in future, particularly through the Long-term
Plan process, wil be sought out by staff.
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Attachment A: Local Board Engagement – Regional Bin Optimisation
Local Board
Date of
LDI funding for
Bin Location
Feedback
Workshop
retention of
Maps
from local
current LOS
provided
board on bin
provision
locations
Albert-Eden
8 June 2023
✓
✓
Devonport-Takapuna
27 June 2023
✓
Franklin
20 June 2023
✓
✓
✓
Henderson-Massey
27 June 2023
✓
Hibiscus & Bays
13 June 2023
✓
✓
Howick
15 June 2023
✓
✓
Kaipātiki
28 June 2023
✓
✓
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu
6 June 2023
✓
✓
Manurewa
7 June 2023
✓
✓
✓
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki
13 June 2023
✓
Ōrākei
6 July 2023
✓
Ōtara-Papatoetoe
6 June 2023
✓
✓
Papakura
7 June 2023
✓
✓
✓
Puketāpapa
8 June 2023
✓
Rodney
5 July 2023
✓
✓
✓
Upper Harbour
13 June 2023
✓
✓
Waiheke
14 June 2023
✓
✓
Waitākere Ranges
6 July 2023
✓
Waitematā
11 July 2023
✓
Whau
14 June 2023
✓
✓
Document Outline
