This week, Bridgend Council’s Cabinet and full council will discuss the start of a vehicle fleet replacement programme (pdf).
The report says BCBC owns and operates up to 190 vehicles. 31 of these are said to be near end-of-life and need replacing. The list includes vans, tippers, a telehandler and road surfacing equipment.
Hiring vehicles and plant equipment is more expensive than buying replacements, while ongoing maintenance/upkeep costs are lower. It’ll also mean vehicles can stay on the road longer instead of being temporarily out of service for repairs.
Officers recommend that £1.2million of borrowing be added to the council’s capital budget so departments can begin replacing the vehicles. The sale of the old vehicles and equipment may help offset the costs.
The preference is for electric vehicles, but if this isn’t possible or practical then the “lowest emission vehicle” possible is preferred (i.e. hybrid).
This is separate from the fleet replacement programme for waste and recycling vehicles.
The full council debated the report on Wednesday 12th March and the proposal was subsequently approved unanimously.
