Havering Council's Place Overview & Scrutiny Sub Committee is set to review the local authority's waste and recycling contract with FCC Environment. The decision to scrutinise the contract was made during a meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, as detailed in the Agenda frontsheet, where councillors identified it as a key topic for their 2026-2027 work programme.
The committee heard concerns from Councillor Darren Wise regarding a perceived deterioration in waste and recycling services since FCC Environment took over the contract. He cited numerous complaints, including a collection backlog extending over six months and reports from refuse collectors of increased workloads leading to missed collections. Councillor Wise stated that ward colleagues had spoken to refuse collectors who reported that FCC Environment had assigned them more rounds, leading to problems. Obviously, it's causing problems, they've got to go back to the depot, and they're missing collections, you know, and even last week, there's about 47 streets missed, you know, on one particular day,
he explained, suggesting that the increased number of rounds may be directly contributing to missed collections.
Councillor Rayne also voiced support for a thorough review of the FCC contract, specifically mentioning concerns about road sweeping and the collection of green and general waste. He questioned the effectiveness of the current contract monitoring processes, as outlined in the Public reports pack.
The review of the FCC contract is expected to be a significant item on the committee's agenda, potentially being undertaken jointly with the Overview and Scrutiny Board as part of a broader look at commissioning strategies and contract monitoring for services.