Caxton FM is favourite to take Corby contract

Caxton FM has beaten five other companies to the position for the contract, which is part of a larger 10-year 'street scene' contract, also covering street cleansing and gardens maintenance.

In 2001, an Audit Commission report damned Corby's street scene service as “poor and unlikely to improve”. The borough was criticised for being one of the worst performing authorities for recycling, with a rate of about 2%.

Worst
The new contract is part of the council's efforts to change that and meet its target of 18% by 2005. Spokesman Jon Whowell admitted: “We were one of the worst performing local authorities in the country but since the introduction of a kerbside recycling service, we have had a 600% increase in recycling.”

The weekly scheme, introduced in Spring 2003, includes glass, cans and paper, which are separated at the kerbside. It was helped by a grant of about 500,000 from DEFRA's Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund.

All 23,000 households in the borough are included, and the council now claims to have a recycling rate of 12-14%. Although the kerbside scheme began under the council's in-house DSO collection service, Mr Whowell said it had been re-tendered to ensure the council got the best possible recycling rate in future. “The council members decided this would be a more efficient way to offer a better service,” he said.

Negotiations
Final negotiations on the contract will end by Christmas 2003 and the contract will start promptly on January 5, 2004. Colin Porton, managing director of Caxton Facilities Management, which is owned by Kier Group, said: “We are delighted to be working with Corby borough council on the final negotiation stage and look forward to working in partnership in the future.”

Caxton FM operates one other similar street scene contract in the UK, in Bexley, south London, where the recycling rate is about 25% and the local authority has Beacon status for waste. But a spokeswoman for Caxton FM said she could not reveal the company's plans for increasing recycling in Corby at this stage.