Report by Fleet Contract and Transport Manager (attached).

The Committee considered a report by the Fleet Contract and Transport Manager (circulated previously), regarding Vehicle Fleet Maintenance Performance.

The Head of Environmental Enhancement highlighted the following:

·         Prior to entering into contract with SFS, the Council had an aging waste and recycling collection vehicle fleet, which needed to be replaced and updated.

·         Maintenance of the fleet was undertaken by the in-house workshop.  It was a continual challenge to carry out the legally required vehicle inspections and react to the breakdowns and other repairs that were required due to the age of the vehicles and the consequential frequency of breakdowns.

·         It was agreed at the Strategy and Resources Committee meeting of March 2021 that SFS be appointed as the primary contractor, commencing on 1 October 2021 for a seven-year contract.

·         Since October 2021, the Council had acquired:

Ø  11 x 26 tonne Refuse collection vehicles,

Ø  17 x 12 tonne Romaquip recycling,

Ø  2 x 7.5 tonne Romaquip recycling,

Ø  16 vans,

Ø  2 precinct sweepers,

Ø  2 forklift trucks; and

Ø  2 mowers (for the parks team).

·         The Council had 12 refuse collection vehicles, five of which were replaced in October 2021, which resulted in immediate service improvements. 

·         In October 2023, six further vehicles were replaced and as a result missed collections due to vehicle breakdowns, had decreased.  There was one further refuse vehicle to be replaced.

·         With two spare 26 tonne vehicles and one spare 16 tonne vehicle on site, refuse collections could continue to operate seamlessly when breakdowns occurred.

·         Furthermore, SFS had access to additional 26 tonne and 16 tonne vehicles through its hire business CTS, these could be swiftly commissioned to minimise service failures where identified.

·         The HGV recycling fleet had now been completely replaced as of April 2024 with the introduction of 14 brand new vehicles and one dedicated spare.  The fleet of 2014 registration vehicles were old and problematic.

·         The collection service now provided to residents was vastly improved, with rounds previously not being completed due to breakdowns.

·         Staff morale had improved with the introduction of new vehicles and this had helped to provide a real sense of ownership.

In response to a question regarding when it was hoped to have the whole fleet switched to electric vehicles.  The Head of Environmental Enhancement acknowledged this was a good question and one that had been raised at a previous Strategy and Resources Committee meeting.  He advised that there was no timescale of when a complete switch to electric or other alternative fuel would happen, as the technology was not yet available for larger fleet vehicles operating in a rural, hilly area like in North Devon.  The Council’s target to be Carbon neutral by 2030 would need to be looked at as it was possible we would not meet this target without significant off-setting.  The team were continuing to look at different options for decarbonising the fleet and would bring future options reports to committee when more progress had been made.

The Fleet Contract and Transport Manager added that as and when vehicles were changed from owned to leased we would look at an electric switch.  A report on the cost of this would be presented to a future meeting.

RESOLVED that the Vehicle Fleet Maintenance Performance report be noted.