Decision details

An update report on the Operational Savings Review of the Waste Disposal contract and to consider the options for further scrutiny work.

26.1     The Assistant Director Operations introduced report. The report outlines two pieces of work on the Waste Contract. The first is the contract review undertaken by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which produced four key recommendations. The fourth recommendation of the DEFRA review was to carry out an in depth savings review of waste contract. The department has engaged Local Partnerships, which is joint venture between the Treasury and Local Government Association to carry out the in depth review of contract. This piece of work will conclude around February or March 2017. The intention is to bring back the outcomes of the review to the Economy, Transport and Environment (ETE) and Audit, Best Value and Community Services (ABVCS) Scrutiny Committees in June 2017.

26.2     The Committee discussed the recommendations of the report and concluded that it was preferable to await the completion of the Local Partnerships review before undertaking further scrutiny work. The Committee considered that having a joint Review Board would be preferable to each Committee looking at this matter individually.

26.3     The Lead Member for Transport and Environment supported this approach and commented that it would provide more continuity by reference to the May 2017 elections.

26.4     The Committee RESOLVED to:

1)      Note the update on work with the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Local Partnerships; and

2)      Await completion of the work being undertaken with Local Partnerships on the Operational Savings Review before considering whether to undertake further scrutiny work jointly with the Audit, Best Value and Community Services (ABVCS) Scrutiny Committee.