The Environment and Community Services Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee meeting scheduled for 02 September 2026 was set to cover a range of environmental and community service matters. Key discussions were expected to include the performance of Veolia's contracts, updates from portfolio holders, and a review of the council's air quality report. The committee was also scheduled to scrutinise various reports related to the council's capital programme, budget monitoring, and procurement strategies.

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 the combined annual value of these contracts exceeds £1 million. It was noted that the current performance of each contract was deemed satisfactory. The report detailed Veolia's performance in waste disposal, highlighting that 1.8% of non-recyclable waste was sent to landfill in 2025/26, which exceeded the contractual target of 2%. For the Household Waste Collection and Recycling contract, the average number of missed collections per 100,000 properties was 97, well within the target threshold of 120. The audited recycling rate for 2024/25 was 49.9%, making Bromley the highest recycling borough in London for the fourth consecutive year. The Street Environment contract reported a 99% pass rate for streets meeting the 'acceptable cleanliness standard' based on client monitoring inspections. The report also detailed contract achievements and future plans for continuous improvement, including increased awareness of recycling contamination, a reduction in missed collections, and the launch of a commercial recycling collection service.

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, as reported for the first quarter (April – June 2026). The plan identified six ambitions: Clean Streets, Minimise waste and maximise recycling, Sustainable parks and green spaces, Protecting and maintaining Bromley's highways and public realm, Safe and reliable travel, and Reducing direct Council emissions and improving air quality in Bromley. 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 between highway maintenance contracts. A Red RAG status was noted for the 2025/26 year-end position for the indicator People Killed or Seriously Injured in road traffic collisions, although Bromley saw one of the largest decreases in KSI figures across London boroughs.

Updates from Portfolio Holders

The meeting agenda included updates from Councillor Josh Coldspring-White, Portfolio Holder for Environment, and Councillor Simon Fawthrop, Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety. These updates were intended to provide an overview of their respective areas of responsibility and any recent developments or priorities.

Pre-Decision Scrutiny of Reports to Portfolio Holders

The committee was scheduled to undertake pre-decision scrutiny of several reports intended for Portfolio Holders. These included:

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

This report sought approval for the intended highway improvement programme for submission to Transport for London (TfL) for the financial year 2027/28. The programme, with an estimated bid of £1.620 million, included schemes for road safety, walking improvements, cycling infrastructure, bus reliability, and parking improvements. The report noted that the majority of funding for transport improvements in Bromley comes from TfL's Local Implementation Plan (LIP) process.

Procurement Strategy - Procurement of Lease Cars and Light Commercial Vehicles

This report considered the ongoing procurement of vehicles for the staff lease car scheme and departmental use, as the current framework operated by the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) would end in February 2027. The recommendation was to utilise the forthcoming GCA framework (Ref: RM6392) for leasing vehicles from November 2026 until February 2031, with an estimated whole-life contract value of £3.167 million. The report highlighted that the staff lease car scheme is crucial for recruitment and retention, particularly in Social Care services.

Budget Monitoring Q1

This report presented the revenue budget monitoring position for 2026/27 for the Environment & Community Services Portfolio, based on expenditure and activity levels for the first quarter. The projected outturn indicated an overall overspend of £410k, primarily within Arboriculture Management and Highways. The report detailed reasons for these variances, including increased demand for tree works and underachievement of income targets in highways.

Capital Programme Monitoring: Q1

This report summarised the capital expenditure and receipts following the first quarter of 2026/27 and proposed a revised capital programme for the period 2026/27 to 2030/31 for the Environment and Community Services portfolio. Key changes included rephasing of budgets, a reduction in budget for the Food Waste Collection scheme, an increase for the Keston Ponds Project, and a significant increase for Depot Improvement Works funded through external borrowing. TfL schemes and Highway Structures also saw budget adjustments.

Gateway 3: Arboricultural Services Supply Chain

This report recommended exercising the option to extend three of the four geographically scoped contracts for arboricultural services for an additional 12 months to 31 August 2028. The contracts for Down To Earth Trees Ltd (Lot 1), All Angles Treecare Ltd (Lot 3), and Arbortas Ltd (Lot 4) were recommended for extension due to satisfactory performance, with an estimated value of £250k each. 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, with an estimated additional cost of £70k per contract. The Lot 5 framework was also recommended for extension for six providers, with the contract with Gristwood & Toms Ltd expiring.

Gateway 3: Parks Management & Grounds Maintenance Contract Extension

This report proposed the extension of the parks management and grounds maintenance contract with idverde Ltd for a further 8 years, from 1st April 2027 to 31st March 2035. The extension was based on an options appraisal that identified this as the most financially prudent option, avoiding significant cost increases associated with other alternatives. A key modification proposed was the inclusion of parks security services within the idverde contract, consolidating responsibility for park safety and management under a single provider. This would also involve a partial termination of the street environment contract with Veolia Environmental Services. Changes to the Performance Management Framework were also proposed to enhance monitoring and incentivise performance.

Environment & Community Services Risk Register – Quarter 1

This report presented the Environment & Community Services Risk Register, which detailed 19 risks across categories including Compliance & Regulation, Finance, Service Delivery, Reputation, and Health & Safety. The report noted that there were no significant changes since the previous review in June 2026, and no risks were identified with a Red Current Risk Rating. The highest risks identified were Disruption to Waste Services During the Depot Improvement Programme Works (Current Risk Rating: 12), Highways Management (Current Risk Rating: 12), Income Variation (Highways, Traffic and Parking) (Current Risk Rating: 12), Systems Failure (Current Risk Rating: 12), Supplier Failure (Environmental Service Providers) (Current Risk Rating: 12), and Condition of infrastructure in parks and open spaces (Current Risk Rating: 12).

The meeting also included standard items such as apologies for absence, declarations of interest, minutes of the previous meeting, and oral questions from the public and councillors. The agenda also included a report on Matters Arising and Work Programme, and an information item on the Annual Status Report for 2025 – Reporting on Bromley's Air Quality. Part 2 of the agenda, which was likely to involve exempt information, included a discussion on the extension of the contract for parks management and grounds maintenance.