Refuse jobs under threat

People are "angry" about Sita's service

More than 250 refuse collectors on the south coast face losing their jobs after a council ended a contract with a private cleaning firm.

Brighton and Hove City Council says it terminated its agreement with Sita because of the company's "poor" performance.

A replacement has not yet been found for Sita, whose notice period expires in September.

The contract was worth £1.8m more than the deal with previous rubbish collectors because it included Hove following the creation of unitary authorities four years ago.

The fact that at the moment there is no confirmed contractor to take over the service has left 253 staff very worried about what the future holds for them

Gary Smith, GMB

Many residents are said to be "angry and frustrated" about the service they have received.

A campaign is expected to culminate in a protest rally outside the Labour Party conference, which takes place in Brighton in September.

GMB organiser Gary Smith said: "The clock is ticking, and September is not far away.

"The fact that at the moment there is no confirmed contractor to take over the service has left 253 staff very worried about what the future holds for them."

A new collection firm is being sought

He said Wednesday's meeting would be told that the situation in the city was a "clear indication" that the government's public-private partnership policies were not working.

"Sita reorganised the way the rubbish is collected in the city and although there has been this cash increase, the service has become an absolute disaster.

"People living here are frustrated and angry about this.

"They have got a service which they are paying more council tax for, but it has got much worse than it was before."

'Poor performance'

A council spokeswoman said problems began when the former towns of Brighton and Hove merged to become a single unitary authority in 1997.

"It has ended up with the council sacking Sita because of its poor performance," she said.

"We're currently negotiating with three potential bidders for an interim period, to give us some breathing space so we can take a hard look at the way the service should be run in the city."

She warned that if a deal could not be reached before the middle of September, the city would be left without a refuse collection service and workers facing redundancy.

No-one from Sita was available to comment when BBC News Online contacted the company.