Local-authority-owned waste management company Ubico is set to take over responsibility of waste collections from Tewkesbury Borough Council in April 2015, once the authority buys into the company.
Set up and owned by Cheltenham Borough Council and Cotswold District Council, Ubico is a not-for-profit enterprise that allows other public-sector organisations to become shareholders and receive services.
Tewkesbury Borough Council announced yesterday (1 October) that it was to join the company (with a one-off set-up cost of £86,000) in the hopes of saving £364,000 by 2019/20, with annual savings of £99,000 thereafter.
The in-house, alternate weekly waste collection service will be taken over by Ubico from April 2015, though there are no plans in place to make any changes to the current co-mingled recycling system.
Alongside waste and recycling collections, the company will also provide street cleansing and grounds maintenance for the borough, though Tewkesbury Borough Council has said it will retain control over how its services are delivered.
Environmental services team to transfer to Ubico
Tewkesbury Borough Council's Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment, Councillor Jim Mason, said: "We know that our issues like waste and recycling collection, and street cleansing are extremely important to our residents, and we are really proud of the services we provide. This will not change, and, in particular, our residents should not notice a difference in the way their bins are collected.
"What this decision does mean, however, is that we can continue to provide the same level of service while also exploring how we can improve on what we do. On top of this, we will be achieving significant savings, which will help us to make sure we are providing the best possible value to our residents."
Managing Director of Ubico Rob Bell added: "Ubico has worked closely with the council over a number of years and we know how much they value their environmental services such as waste and recycling.
"The existing environmental services team will transfer to Ubico, and they already deliver a high-performing service. Moving forward, we will work together as one team to provide the same high-quality services currently enjoyed by residents whilst working to reduce overheads and improve value for money."
Find out more about Ubico.
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