Recognition for partnership working – bulky waste collection service

An innovative partnership between Shropshire Council, Veolia Environmental Services, South Shropshire Furniture Scheme and Shropshire Housing Alliance has been recognised as an excellent example of partnership working.

The 2011 Shropshire Compact Award recognises the pioneering Bulky Household Waste Collection Scheme, which is delivered by social enterprises, South Shropshire Furniture Scheme and Shropshire Housing Alliance as a not-for-profit operation.

The scheme employs a wide range of volunteers and people disadvantaged in the labour market who gain valuable training and work experience working alongside professional staff to collect unwanted household items from residents in Shropshire. 

Wherever possible the items are repaired and reused and sold on to less well-off households in Shropshire, which has a huge socio-economic benefit for the county as well as protecting the environment.

Councillor Gwillym Butler, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for the voluntary sector and partnerships, said:

“I’m delighted this project has been recognized as an excellent example of working in partnership with the voluntary and community sector.  This strong relationship between all partners means our community benefits from quality services.  This is exactly the kind of approach we want to encourage through the Shropshire Compact.” 

Councillor Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for waste and recycling, said:

“I am pleased that this has improved the amount of waste which gets reused and recycled within Shropshire.  By delivering the service in this way, we are not only supporting some very good local organisations but we are helping to reduce the amount of waste which ends up in landfill too.” 

Jean Jarvis, MBE, Chief Executive of South Shropshire Furniture Scheme, said:

“We’ve worked hard to be in a position to work alongside such a large corporation as Veolia, and Shropshire Council supported us in our aim to service a contract on this scale. It is indeed a great example of partnership working and it has been held up nationally for this reason.”

Sarah Dodds, Shropshire Council’s voluntary and community sector co-ordinator, said:

“Shropshire Compact continues to be an essential building block upon which positive relationships between Shropshire Council and Shropshire’s voluntary and community sector are established and grow.  The Compact highlights good practice in partnership working, but it is only through working practices such as the partnership between the county’s furniture scheme, Veolia Environmental Services Shropshire (VES), Shropshire Housing Alliance and Shropshire Council that the Compact becomes real and sets a benchmark for others to follow.  I am delighted to be part of the 2011 Shropshire Compact Awards for its role in recognising the hard work and dedication shown by those who have made this winning partnership a success. ‘’

About Shropshire’s Compact
What is a compact?

The Shropshire Compact is an agreement that sets out the ‘rules of engagement’, determining how Shropshire Council and the voluntary and community sector should work together for the benefit of the people they serve.

It is more than a document – it is also a way of working that recognises the benefits of working together better.

Compact codes of practice cover:

• Funding
• Consultation
• Volunteering
• Equality and diversity

Shropshire Council adopted its compact in November 2009 and both the VCS Assembly and Shropshire Council are now in the ‘delivery stage’ of the Compact.