EXCLUSIVE: How many pages did Wirral Council black out from a 63 page litter enforcement contract with Kingdom Security Ltd?

                                             

Yesterday I received through the post what I hope is the last of what I requested during the 2015-16 audit. Yes, I know that Wirral Council was supposed to supply this contract by 11th August 2016 within the 30 working day inspection period but matters move slowly at Wirral Council.

What I was sent on the litter enforcement contract I publish a copy of below. If any page is difficult to read, I’ve had to resize the images and compress them for publishing on this blog.

For those who don’t know the background is that the litter enforcement function used to be done in-house at Wirral Council. From July 2015 it was outsourced to Kingdom Security Limited. I’m rather surprised by how much has been blacked out from the contract, but the invitation to tender explains that it’s a 2 year contract with an option to extend for a year.

Wirral Council require at least 4 full-time enforcement officers and interestingly don’t issue fixed penalty notices to people under 18. Enforcement officers have to hold a SIA licence, and be “of good character, polite and confident with proven experience of dealing with conflict situations”.

The Council ask that a minimum of 4,800 fixed penalty notices are issued each year. There are two interesting bits about the press which I quote below (it’s a gagging clause).

“2.10.1 Neither the Contractor nor his Employees shall give or offer to permit to be given, any information concerning the Services for use by or publication in the press or radio, television or cinema screens, or in any other media whatsoever without the written approval of the Council’s Authorised Officer.

2.10.2 The Contractor shall under no circumstances use the name of the Council in any advertisement or press release without express written permission thereof.”

Here’s another interesting bit, “5.1 .. In order to incentivise the contractor to reach the minimum requirement of 4800 FPNs, the pricing schedule enables tenderers to specify a different fixed price for all justified FPN’s [sic] issued over 4800 per annum.”

Unfortunately Wirral Council have decided to black out the method statements at pages 20 to 39 of the contract and the pricing schedule at pages 45 to 46. Those with long memories will remember some stories in the local press about fixed penalty notices issued, then rescinded by Wirral Council.

Below is the contract (or at least the parts Wirral Council was happy with the public seeing), many of the blacked out bits are subject to a public interest test.

DATED 3rd July 2015

WIRRAL BOROUGH COUNCIL

and

KINGDOM SECURITY LTD

AGREEMENT

THE PROVISION OF LITTER ENFORCEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT is made the 3rd day of July 2015

BETWEEN WIRRAL BOROUGH COUNCIL of Town Hall Brighton Street Wallasey Wirral CH44 8ED (hereinafter called “the Employer”) of the one part and KINGDOM SECURITY LTD of Mill Brow Eccleston St Helens Merseyside WA10 4QG (hereinafter called “the Contractor”) of the other part

WHEREAS the Employer desires to have provided certain services comprising the The Provision of Litter Enforcement, as specified and in accordance with the tender documents together with the terms and conditions contained in the following documents which shall be deemed to form part of this Agreement and included in the expression “Agreement” wherever hereinafter used and are annexed hereto

AND WHEREAS the Employer has accepted the tender of the Contractor dated 6th May 2015 and has requested the services of the Contractor for a period of two years from the 1st July 2015 (with the option to extend for a further year) to carry out the said services upon the terms and subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter appearing

If you click on any of the buttons below, you’ll be doing me a favour by sharing this article with other people.