New waste company to be set up for Moorlands

New arrangements for waste collections across the Staffordshire Moorlands are set to save taxpayers over £1m the District Council has announced.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has agreed in principle to establish a joint venture partnership with its strategic alliance partner High Peak Borough Council and Ansa - a subsidiary of Cheshire East Council - to deliver waste collection, street cleaning, grounds maintenance and fleet management services.

Across High Peak and Staffordshire Moorlands, these services currently cost £8.2m - and savings of over £1m are expected as a result of the new arrangements.

Council Leader, Councillor Sybil Ralphs, said: "Providing effective and efficient services for our residents and businesses is always the guiding factor for the Council.

"We believe that pursuing this innovative partnership, which we expect to save £1.2m, offers the best value for money whilst safeguarding these essential services which people rely on.

"We are also mindful of the need to ensure the workforce is aware of and understands the changes and we will continue to engage with staff at every stage of this process as negotiations continue."

Councillor Arthur Forrester, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: "Residents should not experience any changes to their services other than the welcome reduction in costs to the Council as a result of a different company collecting their waste.

"Thanks to the efforts of people across the Moorlands we have seen an increase in the number of people recycling their waste at a time when rates nationally are falling. We want to see recycling rates continue to rise and we will be working closely with Ansa to ensure that we see improvements to both service and recycling performance."

Councillor John Hammond, chairman of Ansa, said: "This arrangement is a glowing reflection on the reputation of Ansa as a company that seeks to achieve the highest standards of service for its commissioning authorities and for council taxpayers in all three boroughs.

"We look forward to a long and successful working partnership."

It is anticipated that the new arrangements will be introduced in a phased approached over the next 18 months.