A new council deal promises to improve street cleansing and road maintenance – and will save the local authority £33 million, helping protect key local services in Liverpool.
Liverpool City Council has awarded Amey its streetscene contract, covering highways and street cleaning.
Amey has made a commitment to create 140 apprenticeships over the life of the nine year agreement, giving unemployed people the chance of on the job training and a career.
In addition to highway maintenance and street cleaning, the contract covers street lighting, inspection and maintenance of roads, gully cleaning and gritting, as well as improved cleansing , fly tipping removal, tackling graffiti and fly-posting, highway weed control and environmental education.
Councillor Tim Moore, cabinet member for climate change and transport, said: “Keeping our roads well maintained and streets clean are a major priority, but cuts in funding from central government mean it is more important than ever that we receive the best possible value for money service from our contractors.
“The millions of pounds we are saving each year will enable us to protect other vital services and shield the most vulnerable as much as we possibly can.
“We are convinced Amey will deliver top quality services, and have been particularly impressed with their commitment to developing employment opportunities for local people.”
Amey has committed to spending 90 percent of its budget locally, with particular support for small and medium enterprises.
Councillor Steve Munby, cabinet member for living environment and localism, added: “The new contract will enable us to meet the Mayoral pledge to make Liverpool, a greener and cleaner city.
“We are committed to continually improve these services. The new contract allows for innovation but also adds social value to the services provided, by making sure as much of the company’s spend as possible is invested locally.”
Investment in sophisticated new IT systems and other equipment will help achieve the savings.
Mel Ewell, Chief Executive for Amey, said: “I am delighted Amey has been awarded these two contracts. Liverpool is one of the UK’s most distinctive cities and our vision for the service is to deliver a best value and innovative approach to improving the reliability of the road network and the cleanliness of the streets. We are looking forward to working with the Council and have focused our approach on supporting the Mayoral pledges to make Liverpool one of the UK’s best kept cities.”
Amey was chosen after an exhaustive tendering and evaluation process.
Staff currently employed on existing highways and street cleansing contracts will move across to Amey.
The two contracts -worth a total over nine years of £113 million -represent a saving of £33 million compared to the existing arrangements.
The new contracts will start on 1 July.
Pictured are (l-r) Mark Thomas, Amey account director, Nick Gregg, managing director Amey government division, Councillor Tim Moore, Ron Odunaiya, city council director of community services and Councillor Steve Munby.
