Issue - meetings

This report seeks the approval of the Executive to award a contract for the provision of public realm services as required by Standing Order 88. This report summarises the process undertaken in tendering the contract of waste, recycling, street cleansing, winter gritting, grounds maintenance (including Brent Housing Partnership open spaces) and burial services and following the completion of the evaluation of tenders, recommends the award of the contract. The report also sets out the financial savings and other benefits associated with the contract including improved waste and recycling services, street cleaning at weekends in key town centres and improvements in customer satisfaction. This report also seeks approval from the Executive to amend the Council’s current waste and street cleaning contract to deliver £300,000 savings during 2013/14.

(i)         that approval be given to the award of the Public Realm Services contract to Veolia ES (UK) Ltd for an initial period of nine years with the option to extend for a further period of up to seven years;

(ii)        that it be noted that the value of the contract is estimated to be £143.1 million over the nine year duration of the contract and offers a full year saving of £1.3m from 2014/15 rising to £1.7m from 2017/18 onwards, compared to current budgets;

(iii)       that it be noted that the contract will also provide grounds maintenance and cleansing services in Barham Park;

(iv)       that it be noted that the Brent Housing Partnership Board has approved the award of the contract to Veolia ES (UK) Ltd;

(v)        that approval be given to the introduction of proposed changes to service arrangements under the Public Realm Services contract as set out in paragraphs 4.7.1 to 4.7.36 of the report from the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods and the equality analysis in paragraphs 10.1-10.19 of the report be noted;

(vi)       that approval be given to the introduction of specific time-banded waste collections of residential and business waste from commercial areas as detailed in paragraphs 4.7.8-4.7.12 of the report to improve the cleanliness of Brent’s streets, increase recycling and reduce waste disposal costs;

(vii)      that approval be given to the grant of lease and licence to the new contractor of such council premises as the contractor may occupy for the purpose of the performance of the contract; such lease and license to run concurrently with the contract and to be on terms to be agreed by the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Growth in consultation with the Borough Solicitor;

(viii)     that the risks associated with the new contract as identified in Section 5 of the report and the proposed approach to mitigation be noted;

(ix)       that the Executive note the TUPE implications for Council and other staff as set out in Section 6 resulting from the award of the Public Realm Services Contract;

(x)        that the Executive note the approach to managing the contract by deploying a single client team across both the council and BHP;

(xi)       that authority be delegated to the Strategic Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods in consultation with the Borough Solicitor to sign an agreement with BHP for the joint management of the contract;

(xii)      that the Public Realm contract be made London Living Wage compliant as set out in paragraph 4.7.37 of the Director’s report;

(xiii)     that the Executive delegate to the Strategic Director of Environment & Neighbourhood Services, in consultation with the Borough Solicitor and Lead Members, authority to finalise any outstanding contractual matters;

(xiv)     that approval be given to a variation to the council’s existing Waste Services contract to deliver savings of £300,000 during 2013/14 as detailed in paragraphs 4.8.2 and 10.18 of the Director’s report.

The report from the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods sought approval to award a contract for the provision of public realm services as required by Standing Order 88. The report summarised the process undertaken in tendering the contract of waste, recycling, street cleansing, winter gritting, grounds maintenance (including Brent Housing Partnership open spaces) and burial services and following the completion of the evaluation of tenders and recommended the award of the contract. The report also set out the financial savings and other benefits associated with the contract including improved waste and recycling services, street cleaning at weekends in key town centres and improvements in customer satisfaction.

The Executive also had before them an appendix to the report which was not for publication as it contained the following category of exempt information as specified in Schedule 12 of the Local Government (Access to Information Act) 1972: 

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Councillor Mashari (Lead Member, Environment and Neighbourhoods) introduced the report from the Strategic Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods and spoke in support of the proposal to award the Public Realm contract to Veolia ES (UK) Ltd. She stated that the proposed contract would achieve savings, transfer responsibility for residual waste to the contractor and put customers and outreach at the forefront. Initiatives included the introduction of weekly collections for flats above shops, consideration of food recycling, a commercial waste service, time banded collections in town centres, leaf fall service, spray cleaning and enforcement against non-compliance. There would also be larger bins for large families. £100,000 would be spent on education and increased recycling would save on landfill taxes.  Payment of the London Living Wage was built in, the workforce would be up-skilled, rewarded for initiative and an apprenticeship scheme introduced. Vacancies would be advertised locally. On burials, there would also be a better relationship with funeral directors. Councillor Mashari considered the contract to be value for money and thanked officers involved for their work. Responding to views expressed by residents, Councillor Mashari commented that she had spoken to residents and had many meetings with objectors. She also seen the detailed response from the Borough Solicitor. She acknowledged the concerns expressed by Councillor Hashmi over Carpenders Park Cemetery. From her experience, she found that the refuse collectors took great care in replacing bins and assisted collections remained an option.

Councillor J Moher (Lead Member, Highways and Transportation) stated that the concerns expressed earlier in the evening against the contract did not relate to the substance of the contract. The council had an obligation to get the best deal for the borough and could not exclude the main contractor on pure political grounds. He corrected the value of the contract stated in recommendation 2.2 of the Director’s report to £143.1M as set out in paragraph 8.1 of the financial implications.

The Chair (Councillor Butt, Leader of the Council) while expressing sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians, stated that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5