To receive questions from Members of the Council to the relevant Portfolio Holders for this Scrutiny Committee. The Portfolio Holders reporting to this Scrutiny Committee are:
Councillor Bialyk – Leader of the Council
Councillor R. Williams – Deputy Leader and Support Services and City Management
Councillor Atkinson – Housing and Homelessness Prevention
Councillor Wood – Leisure Services, Healthy Living and Public Realm Management
Advance questions from Members relating to the Portfolio Holders above should be notified to Democratic Services via democratic.services@exeter.gov.uk
Minutes:
In accordance with Standing Order No. 20, the following question was submitted by Councillor Terry in relation to the Portfolio of Councillor Ruth Williams who attended the meeting. The question was circulated at the meeting to Members of the Committee. The response of the Portfolio Holder is set out below:
Question: Brown bin collections contribute well to out waste income stream and contribute to our recycling rates. Could we increase the use of this service? What barriers deter residents subscribing to brown bins?
Response: The garden waste service has been actively promoted over recent years, rising from 8,238 taking up the service in 2022/23 to 12,381 customers being part of the service as of the 31 March 2026. The service in their presentation to Customer Scrutiny in March 2026 set out their communications plans which needs to cover all waste streams that contribute to Exeter’s recycling rate. In line with this plan, promotion of the garden waste service took place at the start of the garden waste season with a press release issued on 6 March 2026, an e bulleting circulated to subscribers on 14 March 2026 and a prominent article in the spring edition of the Exeter Citizen informing residents of the service. In addition to this, social media channels including the service’s own Denis the Dustcart are used to promote the garden waste service.
Exeter, being an urban area, means that a significant percentage of its 61,810 properties do not have gardens unlike our rural neighbours. In addition, we are a city that can pride itself in producing one of the lowest amounts of waste per head of the household than other parts of England. Those residents who choose not to take up the service can be for a variety of reasons including having effective home composters, wormeries or preferring to take their waste to one of the two household waste recycling centres as and when they produce garden waste. However, our cost-effective garden waste collection service provides a reliable collection service for the keen gardeners of the city that take up the service between February and November each year.
In a supplementary question Councillor Terry ask if a concession might be offered where the cost of a brown bin was prohibitive and Councillor Ruth Williams responded stating that the cost was at the lower end of what was charged by others and a smaller bin was available as well as disposable sacks which worked out at £3.50 each as well as the free option for residents to take their garden waste to one of the two centres and this was working well currently.
In accordance with Standing Order No. 20, the following question was submitted by Councillor Terry in relation to the Portfolio of Councillor Ruth Williams who attended the meeting. The question was circulated at the meeting to Members of the Committee. The response of the Portfolio Holder is set out below:
Question: I welcome the promise of Cllr Williams (in the minutes from last meeting) to update Heavitree councillors of any issues and delays with the Heavitree Splash Pools – what are the reasons for current delay in re-opening, and how will you keep ward Councillors better informed – before it goes out in a press release?
Response: Officers and operational teams made every effort to bring the Heavitree Splash Pools back into use this season. However, significant issues were identified, including a persistent leak causing the loss of over a third of the water overnight and a blown pump. While these were being managed, the sand filtration system suffered a sudden and terminal failure, with replacement costs exceeding c.£19,000. Given the planned redevelopment, repair timescales, and the fact the existing plant cannot be reused, this was not considered a cost-effective use of public funds. The decision has therefore been taken not to reopen the current facility, with officers instead prioritising delivery of the new splash facility, with works due to commence imminently. Officers will proactively engage ward members where there are substantive and determined operational impacts on service delivery, recognising this may not always be possible in fast?moving situations.
In a supplementary question Councillor Terry asked if ward councillors could be contacted earlier as she had received information via the media which Councillor Ruth Williams noted and stated that she understood the importance of councillors being informed and that use of this facility affected a number of wards as many families used it.
Councillor Wood added that this had been a fast-moving situation and he could confirm that ward councillors were informed before a press release was issued.
In accordance with Standing Order No. 20, the following question was submitted by Councillor Terry in relation to the Portfolio of Councillor Duncan Wood who attended the meeting. The question was circulated at the meeting to Members of the Committee. The response of the Portfolio Holder is set out below:
Question: Please provide an update on the outcome of the Heavitree Park equipment renovation consultation.
Response: The Heavitree Park play area consultation is currently live (15 June–24 July 2026), so no outcomes are available yet. This consultation is taking a targeted, hyper?local approach to capture feedback from actual and potential users via on?site surveys, including gathering the views of children using the facilities. This builds on the 2021 citywide consultation by narrowing the focus to detailed use, barriers, and preferences, specifically to inform equipment choice and inclusive design. Latest results will shape the design brief for the development hoped for later this year.
In a supplementary question Councillor Terry asked how the consultation results would be managed in relation to the expectations of Pride in Place. Councillor Wood responded stating that Pride in Place detail was not yet known and it may be difficult to manage expectations but communications would be clear and provision of play areas would continue to the best ability within the funds available.