The Audit Commission today revealed improvements have been made to the city's refuse collection service since the council took back control. But there are still problems to be tackled.

HOUSEHOLD waste has been a thorny issue in Brighton and Hove for some time.

Unlike many council services, the effects of infrequent or irregular collections are immediately visible.

Piles of bin bags overflowing on the streets are unsightly and unhealthy - and well-known to the city's taxpayers.

The substandard service provided by former waste contractor Sita prompted the council to take refuse collection back under its wing in October last year.

There was an immediate improvement, with complaints about unemptied bins almost halving in the first month.

But in July this year the council assigned new routes to refuse collectors and, once again, complaints began surfacing from residents who had not had their rubbish removed for three weeks or more.

Steve White, general manager of Cityclean, the council's waste collection team, insisted the teething problems would be sorted soon.

Mr White said changes needed to be made to provide the public with a cost-effective service and expand services such as roadside collection of recyclable rubbish.

Now the Audit Commission has announced its findings after a detailed analysis of the organisation.

The council employs about 340 people in its waste management department and has a budget of £18 million.

Inspectors found the waste management services to be "fair" with "promising prospects" of improvement.

They graded the service as warranting one star out of three, noting its strengths as the reduction in complaints, efficient response when complaints were reported and facilities for disposing of recyclable and garden waste.

However, the inspectors also highlighted several weaknesses.

These included the lack of waste bins, leading to litter in the streets.

They also found a lack of clear details about the standards the public should expect and criticised the fact there were several telephone numbers for complaints.

The auditors said the council should set clear targets for education and the promotion of recycling.

Jane Wreford, regional director of the Audit Commission, said: "Brighton and Hove City Council's waste management service is improving because the council has set clear and challenging targets for most service areas and has improved performance greatly since taking the service back in-house.

"The best value review has consulted effectively and has already started to deliver improvements.

During the Sita regime, inspectors found:

Customer satisfaction with the services fell.

Some front-line staff were resistant to changes in work practices.

Penalties were imposed for under-performance of contract standards.

Relationships between the contractors and council were tense and unproductive.

The contractors had under-priced their tenders.

When the contract collapsed in June 2001, as a result of poor workforce relations, refuse was mounting in the streets.

An Audit Commission spokesman said: "These circumstances raise concerns about former performance and contract management by the council and its handling of a contractor who did not effectively manage its workforce or contract.

"We found some evidence of learning by the council, especially in procurement and partnership working, from the collapse of the contract and the subsequent re-construction of the service.

"In conclusion, we found motivated staff, a strong ownership and commitment to improve services.

"A corporate track record of implementing change is evident and significant progress is being made in delivering planned improvements, not least in turning round a service that was failing 12 months ago.

"However, there is some frustration over the lack of speed with which some improvements are progressing and the council needs to devise and implement a clear plan of how the necessary service improvements will be delivered and resourced."

Councillor Chris Morley, chairman of the council's environment committee, welcomed the report.

He said: "Naturally, I am delighted the Audit Commission has given us a star and quite a promising and encouraging report.

"In saying that, we do not want to be at all complacent.

"Things have moved on since last year. We are going through a challenging time and we have recognition from the commission that we are moving in the right direction."

Referring to the new routes brought in during the summer, Mr Morley said: "It was a huge challenge.

"We knew and warned people it was going to be a difficult time.

"I believe we are now starting to get through that and things will start to settle down now."