THURROCK Council has caved in and abandoned its plans to reorganise part of its environmental services team, today announcing it has scrapped its Clean and Green/Housing Caretaking pilot scheme.

The scheme, followed by allegations that council officers had broken their word over its implementation on a trial basis, was the driving force behind a planned strike announced yesterday (Monday, 14 September) by the GMB union.

However, today's announcement by the council has been welcomed by the union, which is celebrating a victory 24 hours after declaring industrial action.

A statement issued this afternoon by the council reads: "Following a formal evaluation of the Clean and Green/Housing Caretaking pilot, the council has met with staff today to deliver feedback and discuss next steps.

"Whilst many aspects of the pilot have been successful, the review identified several challenges, particularly around external estate services, fly-tipping, bulk waste removal, staffing resilience and service ownership.

"So, having considered the findings of the evaluation, it has been decided that with effect from 2nd November, the traditional caretaking model will be re-instated and the Clean and Green service will revert to their original boundaries and only provide grounds maintenance services to housing estates."

The news was welcomed by GMB Regional Organiser Martin Hall who told Thurrock Nub News: "Following our members' overwhelming vote for strike action, Thurrock Council has backed down on their proposals to downgrade caretaking staff.

"We are pleased that Thurrock has listened to our members, who have achieved a fantastic win for themselves and their colleagues.

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"As this result goes to show, there is power in a union and its members when they stand together."

The GMB have officially confirmed the strike is now cancelled.

Cabinet member for Adult Health and Housing Services, Cllr Rob Willoughby, said: "We have learnt a great deal from this pilot and have listened to residents and our staff. Their feedback will help us continue to improve the way services are delivered on council estates and has taught us more about what residents truly value when it comes to maintaining our housing estates.

"We have found that while residents like the clarity of a published cleaning schedule, they also highly value having a caretaker who is on site, knows the area and is on hand to deal with issues such as fly-tipping and bulk waste removal as they arise.

"We will now move staff back to their previous roles, but will continue to build on the learning, investment and the additional joined-up working that has proven so successful in driving down costs and improving services during the pilot."

The statement from the council concluded: "From Monday 2 November, staff will return to their existing duties and job roles. In the coming weeks, managers will work with staff on the transition and provide further information on how the positive changes identified during the pilot will be implemented."