Gloucester City Council will appoint Gloucestershire company Ubico to collect residents’ waste from April next year.
Ubico is co-owned by the other local Councils in Gloucestershire (plus West Oxfordshire) and will provide Gloucester with waste and recycling services, street and toilet cleaning, grounds and tree maintenance.
The contract will see Gloucester City Council also become a shareholder in the waste and recycling company which will allow it a greater say on service changes and improvements.
Cabinet members took the decision at this week’s cabinet meeting not to extend the contract with its current provider Urbaser who recently took over the contract from Amey.
It followed a report by independent auditors KPMG who looked at the proposals put forward by both Ubico and Urbaser and made recommendations about which services would provide best value for taxpayers money and a quality service.
The proposals include an offer by Ubico to improve response times to deal with waste issues, an emergency out of hours service and enhanced requirements for the cleaning of public highways.
The publicly owned company also pledges to work with the local community and help address antisocial behaviour through using targeted groundworks and street furniture which can reduce fly tipping and vandalism.
Other benefits of working with Ubico include its Ubico Academy initiative and approach to training and development by encouraging local employment and apprenticeships.
In addition, Ubico’s alternative fuel trials and desire to move towards greener technology is in line with Gloucester’s environmental policies.
The deal sees a £5 million investment for the purchase of new vehicles which would also benefit from advances in technology helping the city to reduce its carbon footprint.
Councillor Hodgkinson calls for a root and branch review into why Gloucestershire’s roads have lost their civic pride.
At next week’s Full County Council meeting, Councillor Paul Hodgkinson (Bourton and Northleach) will call for a review on why the County Council’s highways inspection team has lost their sense of civic pride, and why signs are left broken, illegible and worn out for years at a time.
Highways inspections are meant to take place monthly on A roads, and at regular intervals on other classes of roads. These inspections are meant to pick up potholes and other infrastructure issues, yet signs remain broken and road markings worn out for many months, even years before they are fixed – if ever.
The motion highlights the fact that councillors and residents often need to chase repeatedly for these repairs to be made.
Commenting on the motion, Cllr Hodgkinson, leader of Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats, said:
“Time and time again, residents call me to bemoan the appalling state of our county’s highways. Yet, it’s not just potholes that frustrate the public, but broken or obscured signage and worn away road markings.
“Highway inspections are supposed to identify and repair these issues, yet all too often they go unrepaired for many months, if not years, needing frequent chases from councillors.
“This is not only an issue for road safety, but drags down the area’s civic pride. This is why I’m calling for a root and branch review into why the Council’s highways inspectionteam is failing our residents.”
I have been in touch again with the council over the broken street signs at Empire Way. I reported these in the middle of last year but there have been delays due to Covid.
I have been told that the new street sign to replace the one pictured is in stock, but the team are awaiting an order of channel brackets.
When these are delivered, the street sign can be erected on location. I look forward to seeing it replaced, and have also asked about the others nearby.
If you know of any missing or damaged street signs in our area please let me know.
The Blackbridge sports hub project is progressing well now, and all final technical consultants have been engaged.
The planning consultants and those working f on the project are targeting April 2021 for submission of a planning application.
I have worked proactively with the planning consultants in my time as city councillor for Podsmead, and have asked questions about the project at both city and county council level.
I am very much looking forward to seeing the plans and being able to have an input on them.
This will be an important enhancement to the Podsmead community and bring health and environmental benefits for users and local residents.
In my previous email I reported that minor works on Shakespeare Avenue pavement and road surface were due to be carried out soon, and I am pleased to report that they are now done.
I will continue to push for our roads and pavements in Podsmead to be repaired or kept up.
If you know of any roads or pavements that need repair, please let me know.
Although there is light at the end of the tunnel with the successful vaccination programme and the ‘roadmap out of lockdown’, many people are still finding things tough.
I wanted to make sure you were aware of where to get the most up to date advice and support. Below are some links and contact details that I hope you find helpful.
I am always happy to help with any issues, big or small. You can contact me here.
We would like to update you regarding County Council library services that are on offer during the National Lockdown and also notify you of changes coming soon to the eBook and eMagazine service.
1.eBook Service Update: Please read if you use the RBDigital eBook and eMagazine services
On 25th February there will be a major change to the eBook and eMagazine service we offer. Following the acquisition of RBdigital by OverDrive, our eBooks and eMagazines will be moving to the OverDrive platform (Libby) – some of you may be familiar with the Libby service which will enhance our fantastic range of eBooks and eMagazines.
We are working with the supplier to ensure a smooth transition and if you have a book checked out in the RBdigital app at the point of the switch over, it will be available for the remainder of the lending period.
Do you have items on hold (reserved) in RBdigital?
Unfortunately any titles you have selected as holds will not be transferred. However, you may export your Transaction History from the RBdigital website by accessing My Account > Profiles, so you have a list to then re-place in the new Libby service. Please undertake this prior to the 24th February in order to prepare for the change.
How will I be able to access the new Overdrive Libby app?
In order to use the new service you will just need your library card number and PIN to access OverDrive’s Libby app, where you will be able to place your holds again.
2.Service Availability as a result of the National Lockdown
In order to support the UK Government’s stay at home message, our online services continue to be available to you from home via the Internet.
Your Library From home
You can access a range of free digital content from home through your internet, including eBooks, eAudioBooks and eMagazines which are available 24/7 and can be accessed with your library card. For more information about our services from home, please visit the website. If you would like to access our extensive eBooks, eAudioBooks and eMagazines offer, please click here.
We are also providing a range of online events and activities through our Facebook and Youtube channels which we hope you discover and enjoy.
In line with Government regulations, we are able to offer some limited services from our library buildings for essential use.
Essential PC access and Printing and Photocopying:
At the current time, customers are not be able to enter our library buildings to browse the shelves but we continue to offer our request and collection services for those customers who wish to use them. For more information on these services please visit https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries/request-services/
Fines, charges and managing your Library account
We are ensuring no additional fines will be incurred during this Lockdown period and we have extended our loan periods. You can check your library account online https://gloucestershire.spydus.co.uk.
We thank you for your continued support.
Best wishes from the Gloucestershire Libraries Team
