Issue - meetings

To consider a report recommending an in-sourced delivery of customer facing sites and facilities, with these being supported by contracted haulage and disposal when the current Household Waste Recycling Centre contract expires in October 2023.

Cabinet Portfolio: Transport and Environment

Strategic Directorate: Regeneration and Environment

The Vice-Chair welcomed the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, The Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment, Assistant Director, Community Safety and Sreetscene and the Head of Environmental Services to the meeting.

The report recommended an in-sourced delivery of customer facing sites and facilities, with these being supported by contracted haulage and disposal when the current Household Waste Recycling Centre (contract expires in October 2023.

Options considered include the contracting out of the services, alongside a range of internal delivery models. There were significant complexities attached to developing an in-house service in a highly regulated industry. However, there were also a range of potential benefits in terms of new services and more flexibility in delivering existing services, to meet the needs of residents and the Council. The report recommended an in-sourced delivery of customer facing sites and facilities, with these being supported by contracted haulage and disposal. The procurement of a delivery partner to provide the HWRC service for up to three years, whilst also supporting the Council to develop and implement its in-house delivery model was also recommended. The haulage and disposal aspects of the contract would continue to be provided by the market beyond the in-sourcing of the front-end of this service.

The Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment introduced the report. He outlined that current arrangements were to end in October 2023 and therefore, alternative arrangements were needed. It was proposed that the service followed a different operating model. It was stressed that it was a good performing area.

It was noted that Rotherham retained good relationships with Barnsley and Doncaster Councils. However, it was difficult to deliver Rotherham Council commitments such as the Real Living Wage, Social Value priorities and enhance re-use/ recycling targets in the current contractual arrangements.

Should the preferred option be approved, there would be a transition period of three years, with staff becoming directly employed by the Council at that stage. A contractor would retain onward movement of waste.

There had been some public engagement on service delivery and soft market testing had been undertaken to establish if the option was viable.

The Vice-Chair invited questions from the Board and a discussion on the following issues ensued:

Clarification was sought of the level of risk attached to bringing the service in-house and what mitigations were being put in place to manage these. It was outlined that there was a range of technical competences required but this was being addressed. It was also recognised that work was needed to support staff to acquire technical skills. It was noted that there was a level of operational and financial risk in the waste disposal market that needed to be understood.

The commitments to the to the real living wage and re-use processes were welcomed.  Clarification was sought if there was flexibility within contractual arrangements to stipulate that these could be delivered without taking on TUPE liabilities, training requirement and future pay awards. A view was expressed that the preferred option would cost more to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 140