Councillors have demanded further investigation before the authority borrows £400,000 to spend on two new bin lorries.  

North Norfolk District Council is planning to buy the new vehicles in order to “deliver a satisfactory service level to customers” and keep up with the growing demand for garden and commercial waste collections. 

But ahead of the final sign-off, NNDC’s cabinet has demanded further scrutiny of the plan, sending it to the governance, risk and audit committee (GRAC). 

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Members of the leading Liberal Democrat group questioned why Serco - the contractor which delivers the authority’s bin services - was asking for the money now if the service is already at capacity, with Lucy Shires branding it “a little bit concerning”. 

A council official said that it was unlikely that Serco would be able to reliably collect bins in the future if the lorries were not purchased.  

The scheme will cost £450,000 total, with £400,000 coming from borrowing and £50,000 would be drawn from money Serco has had to pay the council as part of a ‘performance management failure deduction’. 

The plan will go before GRAC next Tuesday.