Coventry binmen strikes cost council £7.2m, new report reveals

The cost to Coventry City Council of the strikes among its bin lorry drivers has ballooned to £7.2m, according to a new report.

The dispute over pay began at the start of the year and was finally resolved in the summer, by which time households and businesses had endured months of disruption.

The council originally said the strikes had caused net cost pressures of £4m, but in a new report it said the figure was significantly higher.

It said: “During the period of industrial action, significant additional costs of providing both waste drop sites and latterly the collection of kerbside waste through a third party provider (TWW) have been incurred.

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“This together with lost contractual income within the commercial service has resulted in a net combined pressure of c£7.2m.

The report added: “The dispute has now been resolved such that strike mitigation pressures will not continue into 2023/24.

“However, the net contractual income lost within the commercial service will result in a more lasting financial impact as many clients have sought collection services from other providers.”

The council also said it had spent £804,000 on vehicle hire and fuel costs caused by the strikes, as well as £697,000 on temporary staff, agency and sickness pay.