Oxfordshire councils to explore more effective ways to deliver waste and environmental services

Earlier this year West Oxfordshire District Council, Cherwell District Council and Oxford City Council commissioned an independent specialist report to explore whether there would be a benefit to working in partnership to share services. The County Council has now joined in with conversations around the proposals.

The report was triggered by the current waste contract in West Oxfordshire coming to an end in 2026 which required a review of the service.

The report suggests a potential saving of around £3m should the councils decide to go down the route of a shared service approach, along with other benefits that would help deliver a high-quality service for local residents and businesses

The benefits of a more joined up approach have already been proved this year with a number of Oxfordshire councils running a joint procurement process which has saved over five hundred thousand pounds. The councils also already work closely together through the Oxfordshire Resource and Waste Partnership, this proposal would expand upon the existing working arrangements.

A report will be considered at West Oxfordshire District Council in January by the Executive.

Should the proposal be agreed, the councils would start a programme to build a costed business case which would then be decided upon by each authority.

Councillor Lidia Arciszewska, Executive Member for Environment at West Oxfordshire District Council, said, “Working in partnership can provide a great deal of benefit, both financial and in terms of service quality – and we have already seen some of the fruits this year.

“The report we have received suggests there is much more we can do across Oxfordshire that would help us deliver a better service and help manage our finances at a time when local government funding continues to be very stretched.

“We look forward to working with our partners across the county to further explore the options available to us and what benefits they could bring to residents and businesses.

“We will also consider the impact of the Government’s English Devolution White Paper and any proposals for change in authorities across Oxfordshire as we progress this work.”

Councillor Ian Middleton, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services at Cherwell District Council, said: “Exploring opportunities for collaboration across Oxfordshire’s councils allows us to look at the best way to deliver high quality waste and environmental services for our residents. 

“We are always looking for ways to achieve greater efficiency and enhance the quality of the services people rely on every day, and this is an exciting opportunity to build on existing partnerships and deliver innovative solutions to meet current and future needs. 

“The recently announced proposals for local government devolution will need to be taken into account with respect to waste management responsibilities, but at the moment we have to work with what we have. Greater co-operation between authorities now can only be a good thing and should hopefully feed in to discussions surrounding closer working partnerships across the county in the future”. 

Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies at Oxford City Council, said: "Oxford City Council and our wholly-owned direct services company ODS provide a high quality service to Oxford residents with one of the highest levels of recycling of any urban authority. Working more closely with our neighbouring authorities could help deliver efficiencies, cost savings and further service improvements, in a way that optimises the changes Government is introducing to the waste and recycling system nationally."

Councillor Dr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations and Chair of the Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership, said: “We look forward to working with our partners from other councils around the county to manage waste in the best way possible for the environment and to get value for money for Oxfordshire’s residents. Joint working in this area is already well established, thanks to the successful Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership.

“We know how committed Oxfordshire people are, having topped the national recycling, reusing and composting table for 10 years in a row. The best way to manage waste is by not producing it in the first place, and we know we are good at that, because our waste per head is low compared to similar areas. Residents also have many opportunities to buy pre-loved, repair what they already have and borrow rather than buy, for example from the many Libraries of Things which are run by Oxfordshire’s community action groups.”

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