TRAFFORD Council has slapped its environmental provider – Amey – with fines totalling almost £1m after a catalogue of failings.

The firm, paid by the town hall to keep the streets clean and bins emptied across the borough, is responsible for delivering services for the next 23 years, at a cost of £12m a year.

However, things soon began to go wrong.

The deal was signed between Amey and the council, then under Tory rule, in 2015 – and was labelled ‘groundbreaking’ at the time.

The authority has been bombarded with complaints about dirty streets, filthy parks and overflowing bins often left unemptied.

This has resulted in the firm being hit with hefty penalties for missed bin collections and for failing to maintain pitches, parks and street lighting.

Angered by poor service, resident Kevin Parker quizzed the council on how the firm performed last year – and if any financial penalties fines were issued.
He said: “I was astonished by Amey’s failings, which have resulted fines totalling nearly £1m.

“Perhaps these latest performance indicators are just scratching the service on how abysmal the company really is.

“Based on reports, let us hope that positive changes are put in place, either with or without Amey as the service provider.”

The authority, now governed by Labour, has set up a task and finish group to unearth why things went so wrong with the partnership.

Meanwhile, the Council and Trafford Partnership said they are committed to working with Amey to improve services.

A spokesperson for One Trafford Partnership said: “The Council is committed to working with Amey through the One Trafford Partnership to improve the quality of services.

“We acknowledge the concerns of residents and the Council’s scrutiny committee is undertaking a review of the contract with Amey. Its report for the Council will be published in due course.

“We also note that the fines refer to the previous financial year. Since then, the services have undergone improvements and we will be working hard to ensure services continually improve and meet the expectations of residents.”

A spokesman from Amey said key performance indicators are a normal part of public contracts.

“They’re there to ensure that taxpayers get the value and quality of service that they deserve and that we, as a responsible company, are committed to providing,” added the spokesman.

“Together with the council, we have identified the areas of the service that need to improve and we are working closely to achieve the agreed standards to make the One Trafford Partnership a long term success.”