Issue - meetings

Purpose of Report

To provide an update on the specification for the waste collection and street cleansing contract prior to commencing procurement, with specific reference to comments received from the All-Member workshops held between September 2022 and January 2023.

Decision

That the specification for new Waste Collection and Street Cleansing contracts from 01/09/2026 be confirmed by Executive.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None.

Reason for Decision

The Council currently held two contracts for street scene services: street cleansing and grounds maintenance, and waste collections. Both of these contracts ended on 31 August 2026. Work had commenced on procuring new contracts which would commence on 1 September 2026. They would be realigned and packaged as two separate contracts: waste (which included recycling and other domestic waste streams) and street cleansing, and a separate grounds maintenance contract.

The work involved was extensive, and included review and update of all the specifications for the full range of works that would be delivered as part of the new contracts.

This had involved consultation with all Members, as well as reviewing the specifications against changes in law, changes in best practice, environmental awareness and ‘lessons learned’, trying also to avoid significant increases in costs.

A summary of the draft waste/cleansing specifications was detailed as Appendix A of the officer’s report, which matched the new specifications to feedback received from Members in the All-Member workshops held in late 2022/early 2023. The review had considered and rewritten every requirement within the current specifications. The changes in Appendix A reflected just those material changes which may be noticeable to service users. Many other changes had been made in the interests of cost control, clarity, ease of navigation, ease of operational use and understanding.

The grounds maintenance specification was still in development, programmed to go out to tender in mid-2024. That specification would be brought before Members in a separate report.

The report also drew attention to the fact that the Council would require its contractors to pay their staff in accordance with the Real Living Wage as a minimum (currently £10.90 per hour). This would relate to both the waste/cleansing and the grounds maintenance contracts.

Appendix A was reported to Policy Scrutiny Committee on 3 October 2023. This resulted in one specific change, which was to strengthen the wording on single use plastics relating to the provision of refuse sacks, so as to ensure refuse sacks were not delivered within another bag that could not be used as a refuse sack. The replacement of plastic sacks with alternative compostable materials was already a requirement of the contract at the first viable opportunity.

Following the required procurement processes and determination of a final price, cost management for the waste collection and street cleansing contract would be factored into the Council’s overall medium term financial plan to be finalised and presented to Members for approval in the new year.