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Council complacency
Page 25
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Maintenance problems have resulted in three of Tewkesbury
4 Borough Council's waste disposal fleet being suspended for a five-day period. The council had been called before the Western Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown at a Bristol disciplinary inquiry.
Vehicle examiner Alan Sutor said that during a pre-announced maintenance investigation, eight vehicles and one trailer were inspected and one immediate and three delayed prohibitions issued. The inspection records were not completed correctly and defects were not shown as being rectified. There was a 50% prohibition rate at roadside checks, compared with the national average of 25% and the organisation's initial pass rate at annual test was 43%.
For the council, Tom Clarke said that the vehicles checked since November had all been roadworthy and the paperwork had vastly improved. It had not been aware of the failure percentages but those were now closely moni tored. Its maintenance contractor had also now been changeu.
Chris Pike, head of commercial services, said that an analysls had shown that there had been a certain level of complacency. Only one 10 vehicles sent for annual test since last Augu had failed on first presentation. The current flo was due to be replaced in April.
Questioned about the impact of any action t the TC, Pike said that if the council could n. deliver its statutory duties the whole waste colle tion programme would have to go out to contra( which could take nine months. There were n1 many operators in the area who could undertal it. The IC curtailed the licence for a consecuth five-day period to be completed before the end April, when the licence will be increased from 15 20 vehicles. He -said that the shortcomings th were obvious in February had clearly not bei dealt with and re-emerged during the Augu maintenance investigation.
However, he was satisfied that matters hi now greatly improved and the Council had iear its lesson, although he found it necessary to ma its failures.