Doing The Rounds!
Stephen Metcalfe Joins Refuse Crew in Stanford & Corringham.

On a cold and sometime snowy Friday morning, Stephen Metcalfe, prospective Conservative MP for South Basildon & East Thurrock, donned a hi-vis jacket and joined a local refuse collection crew on their collection round in Stanford & Corringham.

Stephen, a former waste management portfolio holder said: “Waste Management and rubbish collection is the single biggest customer facing service within a council and it is vital that Councils get it right. Therefore, following the recent changes in the collection regime, I wanted to see first hand the impact the changes are having on residents and the challenges that are facing the crews.”

“I have to say the it was a real eye opener and an educational experience for me. The crews work incredibly hard to do their best for everyone.”

Stephen said he recognised the problems with the introduction of the bins and now having experienced some of these problems first hand said: “I recognise that the introduction of the new bin system has not been without its problems, but now that I have some first hand experience of the issue I will be better informed when discussing them with the Council on behalf of residents. We do however need to work in partnership so that everyone sees the system as fair and just.”

“I know the Council have wrestled with the problem of balancing Government demands for a cleaner environment and greater recycling with local demands for an efficient, convenient and affordable local refuse collection service and I am keen to help with that in any way I can.”

Finally, Stephen wanted to voice his thanks to Graham, Dean and Isaac and said: “I just want to say a big thanks to the crew for their support and assistance. I really feel I learned a lot and hope to be able to do it again sometime.”

Posted 16/2/10

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