Council offers contract to clean up unauthorised traveller sites in Brighton and Hove (From The Argus)

Council offers contract to clean up unauthorised traveller sites in Brighton and Hove

12:42pm Tuesday 14th February 2012 in Business News By John Keenan, business editor

A contract worth up to half a million pounds to clear traveller sites is being offered by a council.

Brighton and Hove City Council is seeking a contractor to provide waste removal, disposal services for unauthorised traveller sites across the city.

The contract will run for three years with the option of an extension of up to one year subject to performance. According to documents available on the South East Business Portal website the total value of the contract will be in the range of £350,000-£500,000.

Councillor Pete West, Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said it was agreed at last month’s environment, transport and sustainability cabinet member meeting to bring some services in-house and put the rest out to tender in order to cut costs.

Cityclean, the council’s refuse and recycling service, will add the Horsdean traveller transit site to its rounds. Cllr West said the final value of the three-year contract will depend upon the prices submitted by the contractors.

According to Mr West the new service model aims to save money by using the council’s refuse and recycling service for the Horsdean transit site, which will save up to £24,000 a year.

The contract document states: “The quantity of waste being deposited at unauthorised sites varies and there are no defined quantities for this element of the contract.”

Mr West said: “The current contract for removing and disposing of waste from official and unauthorised travellers sites on council land was awarded to a private company in 2007 and expires this summer. As a result the council is looking at the best and most cost effective way of doing this work in future.

“The rest of the contract, which includes removing refuse, recycling and other waste from unauthorised encampments, plus some additional services at Horsdean, is being put out to tender to private contractors. The council plans to increase its education and enforcement work with travellers at the Horsdean transit site and at unauthorised sites to reduce levels of waste, litter and flytipping and contractors tendering for the contract will be required to reduce waste by reusing and recycling as much as possible.”

Leader of the Conservative group on the council, Geoffrey Theobald said that contractors would want to be sure about how many sites they will have to clear in order to submit accurate bids.

He said: “Why should residents pay for this service? The people who come here and cause a lot of litter should contribute.” Interested bidders must submit a pre-qualification questionnaire to the council by noon on March 20.