Bridgend Council’s Cabinet has overruled an officer recommendation that the council continue to outsource waste and recycling services to a private contractor from April 2026.
A report – discussed by the Cabinet earlier this week – came down in favour of a renewed outsourcing contract as it was the most cost-effective and least risky option (in terms of the council’s finances and staff/legal resources).
The other two options were for the council to run recycling services directly by bringing them in-house or establishing a council-owned company (LatCo) to provide the service.
During the meeting (which you can watch here) Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Environment, Cllr. John Spanswick (Lab, Brackla West Central), said the consultant’s report was perfectly valid, but there were risks associated with re-procurement too – particularly the lack of interest by potential contractors.
He warned that without proper competition for contracts, the Council could be stuck with one bidder and would have to accept the costs regardless.
Cllr. Spanswick tabled an amendment to the officer recommendations.
The amendment stated – amongst other things – that the council should not proceed with a re-procurement exercise at this time. Further work and research should be undertaken on the council-owned company model (including an assessment of how this works elsewhere) and bringing services in-house.
The majority of the Cabinet supported the amendment.
Support for looking at all options in detail, but Cabinet warned about rejecting expert advice
While rejecting officer recommendations is rare, the Cabinet is allowed to do so.
Cllr. Neelo Farr (Lab, Porthcawl East Central) and Cllr. Jon-Paul Blundell (Lab, Cefn Glas) both argued in support of looking at the details of all options. Cllr. Blundell also noted issues with the previous recycling contract with Kier.
Deputy Leader, Cllr. Jane Gebbie (Lab, Pyle, Kenfig Hill & Cefn Cribwr), raised the issue of a lack of clarity around Welsh Government waste rules and how that would impact the feasibility of finding a new private contractor.
Cabinet Member for Housing, Planning and Regeneration, Cllr. Rhys Goode (Lab, Nantymoel), opposed the amendment. Ruling out outsourcing would be “short-sighted” and expert opinion should always be taken on board.
He reminded the Cabinet that BCBC should seek to provide the best services for residents at the best value, saying that the previous Kier contract was “highly successful”.
Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr. Hywel Williams (Lab, Blackmill), didn’t want to rule out re-procurement either, but BCBC has been discussing new ways of working for a while. The best time to consider new ways of working is when major contracts end. He seemed keen on the LatCo option.
Council Leader, Cllr. Huw David (Lab, Pyle, Kenfig Hill & Cefn Cribwr), didn’t question the consultant’s findings, but assumptions can never be 100% correct. Regardless of the future waste service, the focus should be on service delivery and quality.
