When will Powys residents see noticeable improvements in the collection of their waste and recycling in the county – a senior councillor has asked.

The row over Powys County Council’s (PCC) shambolic rollout of new waste and recycling routes rumbles on, as Cllr Graham Breeze (Powys Independents – Welshpool Llanerchyddol) has formally tabled 10 questions to the new cabinet member in charge of waste and recycling, Cllr Richard Church (Liberal Democrat – Welshpool Castle).

Cllr Church (Liberal Democrat – Welshpool Castle) had the waste and recycling briefs added to his list of responsibilities as cabinet member for legal and regulatory services last month, following a cabinet reshuffle by council leader Cllr Jake Berriman (Liberal Democrat – Llandrindod North).

This decision took under pressure Cllr Charlton (Liberal Democrat – Llangattock and Llangynidr) out of the firing line and avoided the issue of Cllr Charlton potentially facing a motion of no confidence and a vote at an extraordinary council meeting.

This had been pushed for by both the Powys Independents and Conservative groups.

The call to remove Cllr Charlton had been made due to problems with the new waste and recycling collection routes, which came into force in March.

This has seen black bins and recycling boxes left in streets all around Powys due to collection failures, which have continued up to the last bank holiday.

Cllr Breeze, a former cabinet member in a previous administration, has asked:

“Does the portfolio holder accept full political responsibility for the performance of the waste and recycling service under his remit?

“What specific actions does the portfolio holder intend to put in place immediately following the widespread recycling collection failures on Bank Holiday Monday, and why have disruptions continued across multiple communities throughout the subsequent week?

“What does the portfolio holder identify as the primary causes of these failures, and what direct interventions has he, or will he, personally initiated to ensure those issues are resolved and not repeated?”

Cllr Breeze continued: “In light of the recent statement that leadership and oversight of waste services has been strengthened, how is the portfolio holder exercising that oversight in practice, and what evidence can he provide that these new arrangements are delivering improvement?

“Will the portfolio holder commit to a visibly hands-on leadership approach to resolving these issues, and how will that differ from previous arrangements which have been criticised for a lack of accountability?

“How will the portfolio holder ensure that accountability is appropriately balanced between political leadership and operational delivery, and can he confirm he will not attribute systemic failures solely to officers?

“Does the portfolio holder recognise the reputational damage these repeated service failures are causing to PCC, and what steps is he taking to restore public confidence?

“What measurable improvements can residents expect to see over the next four to six weeks?

“What contingency measures are now in place to ensure that predictable pressure points, such as bank holidays, do not result in further service collapse?

“Will the portfolio holder commit to providing regular updates to councillors and the public on performance, recovery progress, and lessons learned?”

Upon taking over the portfolio, Cllr Church took to social media to criticise the “unjustified personal criticism” of Cllr Charlton by opposition councillors.

He stressed that: “Councillors set the budget and policies; they do not run the day-to-day operation of services. We employ officers who are qualified and trained to deal with complex operational matters.”

A council spokeswoman said: “A response will be issued by June 12.”