Impact Assessment Form and Action Table
(Expand the boxes as appropriate, please see guidance to assist with completion)
Why are you completing the Impact Assessment?
Proposed New
Policy or Service
Change to Policy or
Service
X
MTFP or Paper Service Review or
SCC Change
Programme
What are you completing the Impact
Assessment on (which policy, service,
MTFP reference, cluster etc)?
ENV 11.04 Somerset Waste Partnership Fees and Charges 2012/13
Section 1 – Description of what is being impact assessed
Increase to fees and charges for: (A) Garden Waste Collection Service; (B) Bulky
Waste Collection Service; (C) Container Charging
Section 2A – People or communities that are targeted or could be affected (for
Equalities - taking particular note of the Protected Characteristic listed in action table)
Residential population of Somerset
Section 2B – People that the policy or service is delivered by
Somerset Waste Partnership and May Gurney CiC
Section 3 – Evidence and data used for the assessment (Attach documents where appropriate)
Somerset Waste Partnership “Proposed Scale of Fees and Charges 2012/13” paper.
Section 4
–
Conclusions drawn about the impact of the proposed change or new service/policy (Please use prompt sheet for help with what to consider):
Key issues to be fed into relevant Action Table
Equality
Increases in charges may have a disproportionate impact on the post retirement age group; those on low incomes; people with mobility impairments, or people with sensory impairments that may impact on their mobility. By continuing to subsidise garden waste collections (A); keeping charge increases to the level of contract inflation for bulky waste collections (B); promoting free and sustainable alternative disposal routes (A&B)
; and allowing use of refuse sacks as an alternative to wheeled bins (C) alleviates the impact of container charge for those who would find it difficult to pay. People living in rural areas may be disproportionately impacted by the increase in charges. The mitigating factors mentioned above apply but this group will need to be monitored throughout 2012/13.
Health and Safety
Should residents decline replacement wheeled bins as a result of the charge (C) they will have the option to place refuse out in sacks instead. This creates a greater requirement for manual lifting by collection crews. May Gurney advise this increased requirement is acceptable and the increased risk is marginal.
Sustainability
Increased fees for garden waste collections (A) may encourage more people to opt to compost at home. Home composting is the most sustainable option for tackling green waste. Conversely it may lead to more organic waste being added to refuse and consequently sent to land-fill, which could result in increased methane emissions.

Community Safety
There has been no identified impact on public safety as a result of these changes.
Privacy
Personal data relating to uptake of these services will continue to be held on secure systems in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Any data passed to the contractor
(May Gurney PLC) either by Somerset Waste Partnership or by partner authorities to enable delivery of the service will be held and processed in accordance with the Data
Protection Act and Sections 46 (Data Protection) and 47 (Confidentiality) of the contract between may Gurney CIC and Somerset Waste Partnership.
Business Risk
Status: Green. There is a risk that price increases (A & B) could lead to a greater than anticipated customer attrition rate, leading to a drop off in revenues. There is also a risk that the overall cost of the services to the general taxpayer will rise if the price to the customer does not keep pace with the inflationary increase in the contractual cost.
Likelihood: 2 Slight Impact: 2 Minor (Total 4).
Section 5 – After consideration please state your final recommendations based on the findings from the impact assessment. Also include any examples of good practice and positive steps taken.
The Equalities Impact Assessment process shows that there are some sections of the population who will be impacted by the changes more than others. However there are strong mitigating factors in each case and therefore the impact is marginal and is unlikely to be prejudicial to their access to waste services in Somerset.
Section 6 – How will the assessment, consultation and outcomes be published and communicated? E.g. reflected in final strategy, published.
This assessment will be briefed to the Somerset Waste Board meeting of 16 th
December 2011. It will then be reviewed following any amendments to the proposal required by the Board. It will then be published on the Somerset County Council web site.
Completed by:
Date
Signed off by:
Date
Compliance sign off
Date
To be reviewed by: (officer name)
Steve Read
22/12/2011
Tony Johnson
– Corporate Performance
Manager
16 th January 2012
Review date:
Mark Blaker
22/12/2011

Deliverable/ Scenario
Identified issue drawn from your conclusions
Equality Impact Assessment Issues and Action Table
Date
Actions needed – how will you mitigate the issues?
Who is responsible for the actions?
When will the action be completed?
How will it be monitored?
Age
These changes (A and
B) may disproportionately affect customers without the use of a car, impacting on both age (specifically retired people who do not drive) and disability groups.
Garden waste charges (A) will continue to be lower than the actual cost of providing that service and the maximum increase proposed remains around 20 pence per collection.
Bulky waste collection charge
(B) increases will be limited to in line with contract inflation charges.
Promotion of ready, low cost alternatives (home composting; furniture re-use groups) (A&B)
Disability
These changes may disproportionately affect customers without the use of a car, impacting on both age and disability groups.
Garden waste (A) charges will continue to be lower than the actual cost of providing that service and the maximum increase proposed remains around 20 pence per collection.
Bulky waste collection charge
(B) increases will be limited to in line with contract inflation charges.
Promotion of ready, low cost alternatives (home composting; furniture re-use groups)
Somerset Waste
Partnership; Somerset
Waste Board
Somerset Waste
Partnership; Somerset
Waste Board
1/4/2012
1/4/2012
Uptake of services
Uptake of services
What is the expected outcome from the action?
No significant decline in uptake of services; increase in use of low cost and sustainable alternatives.
No significant decline in uptake of services; increase in use of low cost and sustainable alternatives.

Gender Reassignment
There will be no disproportionate impact on this group.
Marriage and Civil Partnership
There will be no disproportionate impact on this group.
Pregnancy and Maternity
There will be no disproportionate impact on this group.
Race (including ethnicity or national origin, colour, nationality and Gypsies and Travellers)
There will be no disproportionate impact on this group.
Religion and Belief
There will be no disproportionate impact on this group.
Sex
There will be no disproportionate impact on this group.
Sexual Orientation
There will be no disproportionate impact on this group.

Other (including caring responsibilities, rurality, low income, etc)
Rurality – remoteness from Recycling Centres may increase dependence on collection services
(A&B) so increased charges may have a disproportionate impact.
Presence of wildlife
(foxes, badgers etc) means that use of refuse sacks as an alternative to wheeled bins (C) may be more problematic . However uptake of (A) is not currently higher in rural areas which may reflect there are generally fewer objections to home composting.
Home composting is also more prevalent among the elderly.
Monitoring: Comparing uptake of services in areas of rural and urban profiles.
Somerset Waste
Partnership; Somerset
Waste Board
Low income groups may find they have less access to refuse bins.
Retain sack collection option as alternative.
SWP
2012/13 financial year.
Ongoing
Comparative fluctuations in uptake of services.
Uptake of replacements bins in deprived areas.
Minimal difference in uptake of services in rural compared to urban areas.
Continued access to service via sack collections.

Service
Areas of increased risk drawn from your conclusions
Increased manual lifting for collection crews.
Health and Safety, Sustainability, Community Safety Impact Assessment Issues and Action Table
Date
Action needed to mitigate the risks/achieve compliance
Who is responsible for the actions?
When will the action be completed?
How will it be monitored?
What is the expected outcome from the action?
Health and Safety safe lifting guidance for all collection staff.
Health and Safety Issues and Action Table
May Gurney
Operations
Management
Ongoing May Gurney staff training records
No increase in injuries resulting from increased manual lifting.
Possible increase in garden waste entering refuse stream for landfill.
Waste composition analysis.
Promote alternatives especially home composting
Sustainability Issues and Action Table
Somerset Waste
Partnership.
2011/12
Ongoing
Volume of organic waste in sample.
Material specific monthly performance monitoring
Avoid an increase in organic waste entering refuse stream
No issues identified.
Community Safety Issues and Action Table
Decrease in Garden
Waste customers.
Increase in green waste to landfill will increase disposal cost and landfill tax
No issues identified
Early promotion of garden waste scheme.
Continued subsidy of
Garden waste fees.
Business Risk Issues and Action Table
Somerset Waste partnership
Q4 2011/12 and Q1
2012/13
Privacy Issues and Action Table
Uptake of service
Material specific monthly performance monitoring
Optimise routes for materials and reduce customer attrition rates.