Council prepares to cut ties with Serco after almost 30 years

In his report, Mr Ford says: “Flexibility is clearly a key issue. The service and requirements will change over the next 10 years and the council will want to introduce digital solutions that are imaginative and innovative. “Ultimately, it will provide the council with greater control over delivery of the service and the flexibil- ity to respond to changing circumstances. Although the contract with Serco does not end for another two years, setting up something like this takes a lot of time, which is why we’ve started the process now.”

The council has spent about £35,000 on securing expert advice on bringing the service in-house and spoken to other authorities which are already going down that route.

It says the cost of setting up a LATC is about £400,000, compared to £180,000 if it went out to tender.

The council’s contract with Serco for parks and gardens and sports pitches maintenance, due to end in 2022, is not affected.

Paul Barry, Serco’s regional contract director, said: “We recognise that Canterbury City Council are looking at a range of options for the delivery of waste collection and recycling services beyond the end of Serco’s contract and are disappointed that the proposed recommendation is the formation of Local Authority Trading Company.

“We would like to reassure residents, whatever the final decision, that we are committed to continuing to provide a high quality service level until January 2021.

“We are proud of the service that Serco is delivering to residents across the Canterbury District .

“Customer satisfaction with the waste and recycling service, conducted by an independent research organisation, shows residents had over a 81% level of satisfaction with Serco’s waste and recycling collections in 2018.”

‘All residents care about is having their bins emptied every week, not who does it’

DECEMBER 2018 Following a number of complaints about part-emptied bins, the city council responded by saying rubbish collectors did not have time to dislodge bags which became stuck.

Ian Mcmillan, pictured, of Ashford Road, Thanington, said he had been forced to take his rubbish to the tip after it was left at the bottom of his bin on three occasions in a matter of months. A council spokesman explained: “The bin crews have rounds to complete and it is not practical for them to take a stick and prod away at someone’s rubbish to try and loosen it up.” But Mr Mcmillan retorted: “I suggest hotel cleaners, who must be under the same sort of time pressures as refuse teams, wouldn’t keep their job for long if they failed to empty the bins completely,” he said.

OCTOBER 2016

Binman Kieron Edwards was sacked after he was filmed tipping carefully separated food waste into a general rubbish bin in Columbia Avenue, Whitstable.

The 26-year-old, who had worked for Serco for three years through an agency, claimed he did nothing wrong, insisting the food caddy contained dog poo.

Council chiefs said the incident was “bitterly disappointing” and bosses at Serco described it as “completely unacceptable”.

A petition calling for Mr Edwards to be given his job back was signed by hundreds of supporters, but fell on deaf ears.

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Thursday, March 7, 2019 Kentish Gazette (KG) www.kentonline.co.uk

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