Flintshire audit exposes gap in £500,000 recycling income plan
Flintshire County Council budgeted for £500,000 from household DIY and trade-waste charges in 2025/26, but its internal audit records only £16,438 under the two income headings. The papers put the trade-waste target at £200,000, with no income received, and the DIY-waste target at £300,000. The recorded DIY income was £16,438. Together, that leaves a £483,562 difference against the targets, calculated from the audit’s table.
Recycling income, 2025/26
- DIY target
- £300,000
- DIY income
- £16,438
- Trade-waste target
- £200,000
- Trade-waste income
- £0
Charges were not introduced as planned
The council’s response says the two charging measures were not introduced on member advice. Its September action-plan update says the decision to introduce DIY charges was subsequently reversed, after the corresponding budget reduction had already been made. Officers say those pressures have been included in the council’s 2027/28 financial planning, reported to Cabinet in July. They warn that the service has no alternative means of addressing them without additional budget. The documents do not explain the source of the £16,438 recorded under DIY income.
A separate saving could not be established
The audit also examines a £250,000 budget reduction linked to cutting recycling-centre opening from seven days a week to five in 2024. Auditors could not determine whether the sites operated within that reduced budget because staffing costs sat within the wider Streetscene workforce budget. That is a limitation in the available financial information, rather than proof that the full £250,000 was lost.
Fly-tipping records need work too
Auditors found duplicate reports and cases left open after incidents may have been dealt with, making it difficult to establish the true number still needing attention. The council says a new mapping system for fly-tipping is expected by April 2027. The report is due before the Environment and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 6 October. Members are being asked to consider the audit findings and support the action plan; that scrutiny has not yet taken place.