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111 (22) PROCUREMENT OF INTERIM ORGANIC WASTE TREATMENT SERVICE – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report seeking approval to procure an interim organic waste treatment service for the Council’s municipal waste.

It was explained that the contract for the provision of organic waste management services for the Council terminated on 31 March 2011. The council included the organic waste fraction as Lot 2 within the contract for the treatment and disposal of residual and organic wastes, but had to abandon the organic element as none of the Bids received were assessed as being affordable solutions.A new procurement commenced with a contract notice being submitted to the European Union on 17 August 2010. Pre-qualification questionnaires were received from twelve organisations and the Council had begun their evaluation.

The waste stream advertised under the procurement was re-classified by Animal Health during the evaluation period as falling under the Animal By-Products Regulations (ABPR) 2003. The consequence of this was that the procurement had to be stopped and a new one begun. A new contract notice was placed with the European Union on 16 November 2010, and eleven completed pre-qualification questionnaires were received by the deadline of 16 December 2010.

The next stage in the process was for those organisations passing pre-qualification to be invited to submit formal tenders. The timetable agreed for the project had a deadline for receipt of formal tenders by 25 March 2011.

The Service Director confirmed that the main aim was to procure a short term service contract at the most cost effective price to treat the organic waste stream in a legally compliant way. Until an EU compliant contract could be awarded and a new service commenced, the Council was paying additional costs to the current contractor to take the waste to an ABPR compliant treatment facility.

Resolved – (a) That the outcome of the evaluation of the pre-qualification stage be approved, and (b) the organisations shown at paragraph 2.7 of the report be invited to submit formal tenders.

112 (23) REVIEW OF PEST CONTROL FUNCTION – The Service Director Neighbourhood and Environment submitted a report seeking approval for a review of the Pest Control function.

The Service Director explained the work demands imposed on the Neighbourhood Response Team (NRT) and how this impacted on traditional pest control functions. It was proposed that a revised pest control service be introduced to ensure compliance with statutory duties, to make effective use of resources available to respond to statutory public health and liveability service priorities, and to deliver an effective pest control function.

The statutory responsibility for pest control only extended to ensuring land was kept free from rats and mice. Pest control treatment was not a statutory function of the council, however ready access to pest control expertise was complementary to fulfilling the statutory requirement and for other interventions relating to statutory nuisance such as drainage, accumulations and large or serious rodent infestations.

North Lincolnshire Council retained a basic, though effective, in-house pest control capability delivered by three Technical Officers in the NRT that was complementary and supportive of their other duties.

It was proposed that the council only routinely treated for pests of a statutory nature and of public health significance – domestic rat and domestic mice complaints – as these were, in the main, linked to other issues such as accumulations and drainage. Service requests for non public health pests – ‘nuisance pests’ (ants, wasps, fleas, bedbugs etc.) may be undertaken ‘in-house’, subject to resources / officer availability, or be directed to an approved council contractor. It is proposed that during peak periods of demand for statutory and public health functions that rather than not respond to service requests for ‘nuisance pests’ that a contractor be appointed to respond on behalf of the council.

Resolved – (a) That Option 3 outlined within the report be adopted, and (b) the service improvements and efficiencies achieved by the review of pest control services and the overall public health functions of the NRT be reported to a future meeting.

Where there is no report this is because it is exempt, as it contains information which is considered to be of a confidential nature, as detailed in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act.

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