A recent pay rise has helped to reduce the number of waste staff vacancies in Teignbridge, councillors have heard.

Salaries were increased in the department in December after the district council acknowledged it was "consistently paying below average rates" compared to the rest of Devon.

Driver wages went up from an average of £23,088 to £24,491, part of rises for all 166 staff in the waste department including loaders, sweepers and supervisors. It has cost £80,000 until April and an annual £240,000 from the new financial year.

Addressing the council's overview and scrutiny committee this week, Councillor Alistair Dewhirst (Lib Dem, Ipplepen), executive member for recycling, household waste and environmental health said: "That has helped towards the significant staff shortages that we have had and continue to have.

"Vacancies have reduced. We are still suffering from Covid and we are still suffering from HGV shortages due to Brexit."

The meeting was told that two HGV drivers trained up by council were also in the process of starting, with Cllr Dewhirst adding it was "really good and, frankly in my view, the way to go."

Teignbridge was 11 drivers short in November. A council spokesperson confirmed this is now down to seven, with two of the positions under offer and awaiting references.

Explaining why all waste staff would be getting raises last year, a report stated: "It is particularly important, given the recent and ongoing challenges faced by frontline operational staff, that the entirety of the workforce is considered, and no particular section of staff feel excluded from any pay awards."

While Cllr Dewhirst said the council was a "very good employer," he warned there were limitations on how much it could pay staff, in light of budget pressures."

He continued: "You'll see that the budgets coming show massive holes in our budget – millions of pounds going forwards – and we just don't have the kind of resources to put into more salaries," he said.

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