To review the SWISCo Annual Report for 2025/2026 and make recommendations to the Cabinet.

The Board considered the submitted SWISCo Annual Report 2025/26, together with responses to key lines of enquiry which were circulated prior to the meeting.  The Cabinet Member for Pride in Place, Transport and Parking, Councillor Billings highlighted continued progress in service delivery and operational performance.

Members welcomed improvements achieved since SWISCo's establishment, particularly investment in parks and public spaces, whilst raising concerns regarding recycling collections, grass cutting, communication with residents, staffing pressures and highway maintenance.

Members asked questions in respect of the following:

·                What proportion of Torbay's total footpath and bridleway network is maintained by SWISCo?  (Details on the full rights of way would be provided in writing.)

·                What were the current recycling rates and what challenges were affecting performance? (A breakdown of recycling figures would be provided in writing.)

·                How can residents access better information about grass cutting and maintenance schedules?

·                Can reporting systems provide acknowledgements and completion updates for residents and Councillors reporting on behalf of residents?

·                How does SWISCo manage access issues caused by parked vehicles?

·                How are staff recruited and supported?

·                How are weeds, potholes and road maintenance being managed in residential areas?

·                How can communication around missed collections be improved?

The following responses were received:

·                Performance had been affected by sickness absence, waste transfer station repair work and operational pressures.

·                Collection services had improved and had largely returned to schedule.  Every day the Team must reprioritise what can be delivered based on available staff and vehicles, which sometimes meant that green waste collections have to be delayed to enable missed food waste to be collected.  The increased volume of cardboard was also having an impact as it was filling up the lorries quickly requiring them to be emptied more regularly.

·                A more visible online dashboard was being developed to improve public information.  The Council was required by the Department for Transport to publish an annual Local Highways Maintenance Transparency report, with the latest report showing the Council rated green – see Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report 2025/2026 - Torbay Council.

·                When new Traffic Regulation Orders were implemented parking restrictions were put in place restricting access to the roads, where vehicles cause obstructions, the Team will go back as soon as possible to complete the work.

·                SWISCo continue to recruit directly with vacancies being advertised on both the SWISCo and Council websites, supplemented by agency staff where necessary.  As an employer of choice there were informal arrangements in place to help employees get to work early, where public transport was not available.

·                Weed treatment and highway repairs were progressing through planned and reactive programmes.

·                Missed collection information was published online and residents were encouraged to report issues through established channels, if their bins had not been collected within 48 hours of their normal collection day (with bins expected to be left out for this period – see My bin hasn't been collected - Torbay Council).

Members requested future reports to include greater analysis of recycling figures, including separate reporting of green waste.

Resolved (unanimously):

1.       that the Overview and Scrutiny Board express their thanks and gratitude to the SWISCo staff for all their hard work and note the content of the SWISCo Annual Report 2025/2026 demonstrating SWISCo’s continued role as a key delivery partner for place-based services across Torbay; and

2.       that Cabinet be recommended to request SWISCo to implement a public dashboard similar to that published for the SWISCo Shareholder Panel, with an ambition to look forward as well as looking back, and for reporting feedback to acknowledge submission and provide feedback that the work has been completed.