Croydon Council has extended its highways maintenance contract with FM Conway for an additional year, a decision made by the Scrutiny Streets & Environment Sub-Committee on Monday, March 23, 2026. The contract will now run until September 2027.

The extension is contingent on negotiating further improvements with FM Conway, particularly regarding cost savings and financial penalties for underperformance. This move is intended to allow for detailed service specification work and member engagement before a new procurement process begins in late 2026. The procurement process itself is planned to launch in the autumn, with a decision expected in the spring, allowing for mobilisation for an October 2027 commencement. A decision from Cabinet regarding the new procurement is expected in early summer 2027.

During the meeting, councillors raised concerns about the effectiveness of temporary pothole repairs, with one stating, Everyone knows now lots of potholes all around the areas, but it's just more patchy work. And after some time, those things are not there again. Officers explained the inspection regime and the contractor's obligation to carry out permanent repairs to the required standard, addressing concerns about the effectiveness of temporary reinstatements and the need to tighten contract specifications. No specific evidence was presented to support these concerns.

A dashboard displaying data on reported incidents, including a pie chart showing reasons for exclusion from reports and a choropleth map illustrating the percentage of incidents cleared within service level agreements by ward, alongside a table of flytip statistics.
Reported Incidents Dashboard

The committee also discussed the maintenance of gullies, with plans to integrate gully cleansing with road resurfacing works and explore options for lifting vehicles to access blocked gullies. A significant capital programme is planned for 2026-27 to address backlogs in gully cleansing.

The council is confident that the one-year extension will not be detrimental and may even yield budgetary savings. The possibility of incorporating innovation, such as AI technology for surveys, was also discussed.

More information on the council's work programme can be found in the Work Programme 2526 document. Details on financial performance are available in the Period 8 Financial Performance Report and Financial Monitoring - Period 8.

A man stands next to a discarded oven on a residential street.
Discarded Appliance

Black trash bags piled up against a brick wall, with a red overlay stating 'CAUGHT AND FINED'.
Fly-tipping Enforcement

Two individuals participating in a community clean-up event, holding litter pickers and purple trash bags.
Community Clean-up

Further details regarding the meeting can be found in the Public reports pack and the Agenda frontsheet.