Tax payers foot the bill of new cleaning equipment

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 Wednesday, June 26, 2019 - 09:45

The GSD has welcomed that the Government has finally recognised that the cleaning of our streets and public places is inadequate, it has been for some years now, and the GSD has been constantly calling for this to be addressed. However, the news that the tax payer will have to foot the bill for new equipment, for a six-million-pound contract that was only awarded in June last year is shocking. 

Trevor Hammond, GSD Environment spokesman said: “Last year Minister Cortes was boasting that the streets of Gibraltar would sparkle after announcing the award of the new cleaning contract to Britannia Ltd. Sadly for him we had a dry winter and the lack of rain has quickly exposed the inadequacy of cleaning.

"In response to our press release on the issue of 3rd June, the Government replied ‘Gibraltar is much cleaner now than it was at the time of the contract changeover. The programme will be tweaked as necessary in order to make sure that all areas that need cleaning are covered.’ This was only three weeks ago and now the Government acknowledge that the streets are not sufficiently clean. The Government spin has again been exposed for what it is.

“There is no doubt that new equipment is required, many of the vehicles currently in use seem to move around in a cloud of fumes, sucking in dust and redistributing it in a plume. However, the Government is spending over £6 million a year for street cleaning services and it seems staggering that this contract price, only awarded a year ago, did not include and require a programme of equipment replacement by Britannia.

"It is incredible that the tax payer should also have to bear this cost and that Government awarded the contract without considering this. It’s another example of individuals and companies winning and profiting from contracts while all the risk and cost is being born by the tax payer.”

26-06-19 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR