The Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 15 September 2026 to discuss the rollout of the new waste and street cleaning contract and to review the committee's work programme. The committee resolved to take steps to address budgetary provision related to the new waste and litter collection arrangements, make litter bin details available on the Tendring District Council website and publicise them to councillors and Town and Parish Councils, circulate a summary of performance data to all Members before the end of October 2026, examine all reports of fly-tipping received during August 2026 and provide details of the time taken for waste removal, encourage the publication of occasions where fly-tipping has been addressed through Fixed Penalty Notices and/or prosecutions, note that specific information will be provided in writing to the Committee, and make arrangements to enable reports of overflowing bins, side waste, and street cleansing issues to be addressed more easily with a view to encouraging speedy resolution.

Waste and Street Cleaning Contract Rollout Update

The committee received an update on the rollout of the new waste collection and street cleaning contract, which commenced on 1 April 2026 and is managed by Veolia Environmental Services. The report detailed numerous activities and achievements, including the deployment of seasonal bins, the introduction of electric carts and vacuum barrows for street cleaning, and the delivery of food waste caddies and additional recycling boxes to households. The contract's commencement was close to the award date, necessitating ongoing IT and operational practice enhancements, expected to be completed by October.

During the discussion, Councillor Smith, Portfolio Holder for Environment and ICT, confirmed that the contract is operating within budget and that no unexpected mobilisation or implementation costs have been incurred. He also stated that the contract includes clauses for contractor underperformance and that there are no emerging financial pressures. While no immediate efficiencies or savings are expected, the contract allows for annual reviews.

Several specific questions were raised by committee members:

• Litter Bin Data: In response to a question about the provision of street bin locations to Town and Parish Councils, Councillor Smith confirmed this information can be provided where of interest. He agreed that publishing this data on the Tendring District Council (TDC) website and making it available to all councillors would be beneficial.
• Funding for Equipment: The acquisition and ongoing use of electric/pedal-powered carts and vacuum barrows were confirmed to be funded as part of the contract.
• Electronic Mapping of Bins: The electronic mapping of litter bins and reconciliation with existing records has been completed, with final checks and adjustments being made.
• Recycling Box Delivery: The delivery of an additional 70,000 green recycling boxes was anticipated to be completed the week commencing 21 September.
• Funding for Depot and Barrow Store Improvements: Improvements to the Fowler Road depot and a seafront barrow store are funded as part of the contract, with the depot works also governed by the terms of Veolia's lease, and the barrow store being jointly funded by the Council and Veolia.
• ECHO IT System: The development of Veolia's ECHO IT system, providing officers with direct access to collection data, is on course. This is expected to improve day-to-day performance management, data capture, and the follow-up of reported problems.
• Risks: The biggest risks identified for the next 12 months include resident participation, poor communication, and workforce issues.
• Operational Meetings: Weekly operational meetings between Veolia supervisors and TDC officers have been taking place since April, supplementing monthly meetings. Contract mobilisation meetings have been held since December 2025. All issues raised in these meetings have been resolved.
• Temporary Staff: Temporary agency staff are being engaged to assist with phone enquiries and recycling collection monitoring, funded within the £400,000 budget for consultancy services.
• Contract Partnership Board: The first bi-annual Contract Partnership Board meeting was being arranged for 29 October, with performance data for April to August already provided. Bi-annual was clarified to mean twice per calendar year, or every six months.
• Out-of-Hours Issues: For missed bin collections outside of office hours, residents should report issues online, which will be automatically directed to Veolia for collection, potentially on the Saturday.
• Seafront Bins: Overflowing bins on the Clacton seafront in March 2026 occurred before the new contract, and such incidents are expected to be minimised under the new arrangements.
• Garden Waste Service: The garden waste collection service is a core part of the contract, with improvements in bin delivery and operative numbers. Previous issues with invoice payments have been resolved.
• Data Publication: Performance data is available on the system and can be published upon request, with a potential summary to be provided to the Management Team and published following the Partnership Board meeting.
• Textile Collections: Textile collections are independent of the Veolia contract, with residents able to access the service via doorstep collection or textile banks. Current collections average 3 to 4 tonnes per month.
• Green Waste Costs: The costs for the green waste collection service are included within the main contract, and the resident charge is designed to cover the full cost.
• Missed Collections and Complaints: Since contract commencement, there have been 45.45 missed collections per 100,000 (approximately 0.1%). For waste and recycling, there have been 56 complaints between 1 April 2026 and 15 September 2026, one less than the same period in 2025. For street cleansing, there were 67 service enquiries/requests/complaints in 2026 compared to 72 in 2025.
• Communication Effectiveness: The council has a comprehensive communications plan, including leaflets, website updates, press releases, social media, and email briefings. Resident feedback has been extremely positive, and the council is committed to exploring new ways to communicate effectively.
• Rebuilding Confidence: Additional resources are in place to minimise disruption to service delivery, including temporary staff and an extra recycling round.
• Street Cleanliness Standards: Veolia has introduced innovations such as e-bikes and vacuum barrows. The contract includes 22 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), one of which relates to street and environmental cleanliness. For August, 33 inspections resulted in 0.0% remediation notices, compared to 21 inspections and 2 remediation notices (9.5%) in June.
• Beach Cleaning: Beach cleaning teams, made up of Veolia staff, operate in Brightlingsea, Jaywick, Clacton, Holland, Frinton, Walton, and Harwich, cleaning the beaches and emptying seafront bins. Manningtree foreshore was not previously maintained under this contract due to budget restraints and its classification.
• Fly-tipping: The contractor has 72 hours (Monday to Friday) to clear fly-tipping on public land once investigated. Culprits can be dealt with via fixed penalty notices or prosecution. Hazardous waste on private land remains the landowner's responsibility.
• Coastal and High-Tourism Areas: The contract has introduced innovations to manage seasonal pressures, including increased blue bin provision and extended cleaning hours.
• Policy Effectiveness: While some elements require a district-wide approach, the council is open to stakeholders raising issues for assessment and collaborative implementation of solutions.
• Pre-Contract Risks: The most significant risks identified were the limited mobilisation period and potential lack of preparation time, which were mitigated through a comprehensive programme. Vehicle shortages and container availability concerns have been resolved, and workforce availability challenges have been managed.

Following the discussion, the committee resolved that:

• Steps be taken to address the budgetary provision that would otherwise have passed to the new unitary authority in 2028 under the new waste and litter collection arrangements.
• Litter bin details be made available on the Tendring District Council website and publicised to District Councillors and Town and Parish Councils.
• A summary of the performance data provided for the Tendring District Council/Veolia Contract Partnership Board be circulated to all Members before the end of October 2026.
• All reports of fly-tipping received during August 2026 be examined, with details of the time taken between the report being received and the waste removal contractor being instructed/attending be provided to Members of the Committee.
• Publication of all occasions where fly-tipping has been addressed through Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) and/or prosecutions be encouraged.
• It be noted that the following information will be provided in writing to the Committee: the number of bins covered under the contract and the latest estimate thereof; the 22 KPIs for street cleansing; and the rationale for the change from bi-annual to six-monthly reporting.
• Arrangements be made to enable reports of overflowing bins, side waste, and street cleansing issues to be addressed more easily, for example through a dedicated telephone number, contact point or enforcement/patrol mechanism, with a view to encouraging speedy resolution.

Review of the Work Programme

The committee reviewed its approved Work Programme for 2026/27, including progress on enquiries, feedback on previous recommendations, and a list of forthcoming decisions. A provisional date of Monday, 5 October 2026, was proposed for the Task and Finish Group's Temporary Accommodation Enquiry Day, subject to availability.

The committee resolved to note its approved Work Programme for 2026/27, feedback on previous recommendations, and the list of forthcoming decisions, as well as the remaining contents of the report.