Grosvenor still in running for Peterborough MRF contract

The decision has been delayed while the council investigated one of the companies bidding for the contract – Grosvenor Waste Management. The investigation was prompted by allegations within a BBC documentary broadcast in December.

”Allegations were made in a BBC Panorama programme against Grosvenor and these had to be fully investigated. This has now been done and Grosvenor along with two other companies will be considered by the council.“
– Mike Brown, Peterborough CC
Peterborough council officers have now said their investigation has been completed, leaving Grosvenor still in the running for the MRF contract.

The Peterborough MRF at Fourth Drove, Fengate, is one of the oldest MRFs in the country having opened in 1997. Processing about 1,100 tonnes of dry recyclables each month, the facility used to be run by waste firm Shanks, and is currently run by HW Martin. Under the new contract to run the MRF, the facility was to go through a 480,000 upgrade this summer.

Contract
The council announced to letsrecycle.com way back in September 2005 that it had decided to hand the new contract to run the MRF to Kent-based Grosvenor Waste Management.

Officers then hastily retracted the public announcement, explaining that the decision had not gone through the council's ratification process. At the time, it said the ratification process would take about four weeks (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, following this, the BBC broadcast a documentary making a number of claims concerning Grosvenor (see letsrecycle.com story). The existing operator of the MRF – HW Martin – was given a temporary contract to continue running the facility while the council investigated the BBC claims.

Investigated
The council has now informed letsrecycle.com that the allegations have been fully investigated, leaving Grosvenor still in the running for the contract, along with two other companies.

Mike Brown, head of environmental and public protection services at Peterborough city council, said: “Allegations were made in a BBC Panorama programme against Grosvenor and these had to be fully investigated.

“This has now been done and Grosvenor along with two other companies will be considered by the council. No decision has yet been made, but members will be awarding the contract in due course,” Mr Brown said.

Grosvenor
Commenting on Peterborough's announcement, Grosvenor director of recycling development Mary Corin welcomed the city council's findings, pointing out that the London borough of Islington had also looked into the BBC's allegations and had cleared Grosvenor.

Ms Corin said: “Islington carried out their own investigation and exonerated us – we proved to them that the material is recycled. Peterborough was also very thorough in their investigation, which has shown that material exported is recycled.”