The Environment and Community Services Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday 02 September 2026 was set to cover a wide range of environmental and community service matters. Key discussions were anticipated regarding the performance of Veolia's contracts, updates from portfolio holders, and a review of the council's performance in the first quarter of the financial year. Additionally, the committee was scheduled to scrutinise reports related to traffic and road safety programmes, vehicle procurement, budget monitoring, capital programmes, and arboricultural services.

Veolia Contracts Annual Performance Monitoring Report 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to review the annual performance of the three environmental services contracts managed by Veolia ES UK Limited: Waste Disposal, Household Waste Collection and Recycling, and Street Environment. The report indicated that these contracts were generally performing satisfactorily. It highlighted that in 2025/26, 1.8% of non-recyclable waste was sent to landfill, exceeding the contractual target of 2%. The report also noted that Bromley had achieved the highest recycling rate in London for the fourth consecutive year, with a household recycling rate of 49.9% for 2024/25. Improvements were also reported in the number of missed collections, with a significant reduction across all waste streams. Customer satisfaction surveys indicated a broadly positive and consistent level of satisfaction with street cleansing services, with 85% of respondents satisfied with the cleanliness of their streets.

Environment & Community Services Performance Overview: Quarter 1 2026/27

This report provided an overview of performance against the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the Environment & Community Services Portfolio Plan for 2026/27 for the first quarter (April – June 2026). Overall performance was reported as strong, with 18 out of 19 indicators achieving a Green RAG rating. The single Amber indicator related to highway maintenance works completed within contractual timescales, attributed to the transition period of the previous highway maintenance contract. Notably, the report also included year-end performance data for two indicators from the 2025/26 Portfolio Plan. The indicator for People Killed or Seriously Injured in road traffic collisions for the 2025 calendar year ended with a Red RAG status, with 124 incidents recorded against a target of less than 79. However, Bromley was noted as having one of the largest decreases in KSI figures across London boroughs compared to the baseline data.

Local Implementation Plan (LIP) Funded Traffic and Road Safety Programme 2027/28

The committee was scheduled to scrutinise the proposed highway improvement programme for 2027/28, intended for submission to Transport for London (TfL) for funding approval. The report outlined a proposed bid of £1.620m, comprising £1.321m for Corridors and Neighbourhoods schemes, £60k for Cycle Parking, £79k for Cycle Training, £65k for Cycle Route Development, and £95k for Bus Priority schemes. The programme aimed to address challenges related to traffic congestion, road safety, and parking demand, with proposed schemes including junction improvements, speed limit reductions, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure enhancements, and bus reliability improvements. The report also mentioned consideration of future bids for the Borough Safer Streets fund.

Procurement Strategy: Procurement of Lease Cars and Light Commercial Vehicles

This report addressed the ongoing procurement of vehicles for the staff lease car scheme and departmental use, as the current framework operated by Crown Commercial Service (CCS) was due to end in February 2027. The recommendation was to utilise the forthcoming framework operated by the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) to lease required vehicles from November 2026 until February 2031. The estimated whole-life contract value was £3.167 million. The report highlighted that the staff lease car scheme was crucial for the recruitment and retention of staff, particularly in hard-to-recruit areas like Social Care. For departmental vehicles, there was a priority to consider alternatively powered vehicles, such as electric vehicles, where feasible.

Q1 Budget Monitoring 2026/27

This report presented the revenue budget monitoring position for the Environment & Community Services Portfolio for the first quarter of the financial year. The projected overall overspend for the portfolio was £410k, based on the financial information available at the time. The report detailed projected overspends primarily within Arboriculture Management (£170k) and Highways (£240k). The overspend in Arboriculture was attributed to the demand for essential services identified through inspections and reactive needs, while the Highways overspend was largely due to underachieving income targets from NRSWA streams, reflecting reduced utility company activity.

Capital Programme Monitoring: Quarter 1 2026/27

This report summarised the capital expenditure and receipts for the Environment and Community Services portfolio following the first quarter of 2026/27. A revised capital programme for 2026/27 to 2030/31 was to be considered by the Executive. Key changes included a net rephasing of £2.734m from 2026/27 and 2029/30 into future financial years to reflect revised expenditure estimates. A reduction of £9k was noted from existing schemes, specifically the Food Waste Collection. An increase of £364k was approved for the Keston Ponds Project, funded by the GLA Green Roots Fund. Additionally, an increase of £4.944m was proposed for Depot Improvement Works, to be funded through external borrowing. TfL schemes also saw an increase of £1.979m for 2026/27.

Gateway 3: Arboricultural Services Supply Chain

The committee was asked to scrutinise proposals for the future delivery model of arboricultural services. The report recommended exercising the option to extend three of the four geographically scoped contracts for an additional 12 months to 31 August 2028, citing good performance from Down To Earth Trees Ltd (Lot 1), All Angles Treecare Ltd (Lot 3), and Arbortas Ltd (Lot 4). The contract with Gristwood & Toms Ltd (Lot 2) was not recommended for extension due to performance issues. The workload from Lot 2 was proposed to be redistributed among the remaining three contractors. The Lot 5 framework was also recommended for extension for six providers, with the contract with Gristwood & Toms Ltd expiring at the end of its initial term. The estimated cost for the extensions and modifications was £960k.

Gateway 3: Parks Management & Grounds Maintenance Contract Extension

This report detailed the proposal to extend the contract for parks management and grounds maintenance with idverde Ltd for a further 8 years, from 1st April 2027 to 31st March 2035. This extension was considered the most financially prudent option identified through an options appraisal, avoiding significant cost increases associated with other alternatives. A key modification proposed was the inclusion of park security services within the idverde contract, aiming for a more integrated and efficient approach with clearer accountability. This would necessitate a partial termination of the parks security service from the contract with Veolia Environmental Services. Changes to the Performance Management Framework were also proposed to enhance responsiveness and incentivise performance.

Environment & Community Services Risk Register: Quarter 1

This report presented the Environment & Community Services Risk Register for the first quarter of 2026/27. The register detailed 19 risks, categorised as Compliance & Regulation, Finance, Service Delivery, Reputation, and Health & Safety. No new risks were added, and no existing risks were removed since the last report. Crucially, there were no risks with a Red Current Risk Rating. The report noted that while minor changes had been made to controls and further actions, these had not impacted the overall risk scores. The highest current risk ratings were identified for Highways Management (12), Income Variation (Highways, Traffic and Parking) (12), Disruption to Waste Services During the Depot Improvement Programme Works (12), Supplier Failure (Environmental Service Providers) (12), Systems Failure (12), and Condition of infrastructure in parks and open spaces (12).