The meeting of Wandsworth Council's Borough Residents’ Forum was scheduled to receive updates on the roll-out of food waste collection on housing estates, as well as consider a new contract for grounds maintenance services and an update to the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan.

Grounds Maintenance Contract

The Forum was scheduled to consider a report on the award of a new contract for grounds maintenance services, which will cover approximately 342 housing sites throughout the Borough, including:

grass cutting and edging, hoeing, weeding, leaf collection, hedge cutting and the maintenance of shrub, flower and rose beds

The current grounds maintenance contract expires in February 2025 and the new contract, if approved, is expected to run for 6 years, with an optional 6 year extension. The contract will also require an additional £200,000 per year to be added to the Housing Revenue Account Budget. 40% of this cost is expected to be recovered from leaseholders¹ through service charges².

The Forum was also scheduled to hear that the new Grounds Maintenance specification differs from the existing one in a few ways. These changes include measures to ensure that workers on the contract are paid the London Living Wage and encourage the use of electric vehicles and equipment where possible. Some aspects of the specification, such as watering schedules and the types of plants used, have also been revised to adapt to the changing climate.

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan Update

The Forum was also scheduled to consider a report providing an update on the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan, which sets out how the council will manage its housing stock. The report was scheduled to highlight that a number of capital projects have run over budget.

The total cost of replacing windows on the Alton Estate has increased by £3.75m. The report attributes this increase to inflation following the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and the war in Ukraine. Work on this project is now ready to be tendered and the additional funding requested will ensure sufficient funds are available for this to take place.

The Forum was also scheduled to hear that the budget for the ongoing roof renewal project on the Fitzhugh Estate has increased by £2.5m. This is because the project has been expanded to include the installation of solar panels, the replacement of existing handrails and a complete re-roofing of the five blocks on the estate.

There was also scheduled to be a request for an additional £2m for void electrical rewires. The number of empty council properties requiring a full electrical rewire has increased significantly, from 700 in 2022/23 to a projected 1,360 in 2024/25.

Food waste roll-out on housing estates

The meeting was also scheduled to receive an update from Cindy Gardener, Assistant Director of Waste and Street Cleansing, on the roll-out of food waste collection on housing estates.