Gedling Borough Council has revealed it spent £190,000 on agency workers – including bin lorry drivers – to cover staff shortages in environmental departments.
The Labour-run authority met on Wednesday, January 22, to discuss a budget report covering August to November 2024.
The reports reveal the council spent the £190,000 on agency workers in environmental services from August to November last year.
This includes £90,000 on refuse vehicle drivers, £30,000 on street cleaners and £40,000 on cemetery workers.
The council also spent £30,000 to cover staff absences alone.
A more “permanent solution” is needed to cover staff who aren’t working, the document adds.
Cllr Marje Paling (Lab), the council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment Services, said it had been “difficult” to recruit bin lorry drivers in recent months and to retain them.
She said: “We have set up internal promotion schemes to convert ordinary operatives into drivers.
“They’re very expensive for agency cover. We don’t have any spare drivers or crew and we empty thousands of bins a day.
“There is always a fluctuating number of staff coming and going, so if we cant recruit workers we need agency staff to cover that.”
Recent flooding means more workers are needed to clean up streets, leaving the council no choice but to hire agency staff.
She added: “I’m dreading this weekend, the weather means we’ll have high winds and may go on agency staff to clear trees.
“We had to do that with the flooding. It is a large bill. We had one crisis after another, it’s been a difficult year.”
• Woman charged after windows smashed at historic Nottingham pub
