Wholly owned by Bristol city council, Bristol Waste carries out the city’s waste and recycling collections, provides street cleansing services and operates its household waste recycling centres.
A spokesperson for Bristol Waste told letsrecycle.com that the company became aware of “possible fraudulent activity” within its Avonmouth depot back in 2020. They explained that immediate action was taken and all evidence was submitted to the police, with the case currently under a live police investigation.
Support
Councillor Craig Cheney, deputy mayor for finance, governance, performance, and culture, commented on the matter saying: “Reports of possible fraudulent activity have been passed to the police and we will continue to support their current investigation.”
The investigation was confirmed by a spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police, which is handling the case. They said: “We can confirm there is an ongoing investigation into alleged fraud at a waste depot in Avonmouth. Enquiries continue and Bristol Waste is assisting with our investigation.”
Security
The Bristol Waste spokesperson outlined that following the reports, the company implemented a number of new measures to ensure security at the site “which have proven to be effective”.
Cllr Cheney noted that whilst the council recognises that Bristol Waste has introduced new measures to guard against the potential for fraudulent activity at their sites, it expect the company “to continue to remain vigilant and take immediate action where necessary”.
The company noted that it has moved to strengthen its governance as part of transformation achievements in the previous financial year. It outlined that in 2022/23, it refreshed its board and executive team as well as improved reporting and introduced Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee amongst other steps.
Business plan
Systems of internal control have also remained part of the main focus in Bristol Waste’s business plan for the 2023/24 financial year. The document noted that these need “ongoing review and improvement”. It warned that any delays to implementation of required improvements, or lack of adherence to new controls put in place, will impact business performance.
To address this, the business plan set out ‘mitigating controls’ including the development and implementation of new policies, procedures and delegations. It also pledged to report to the audit committee on fraud risk assessment and fraud, breaches and irregularities on quarterly basis as well as provide integrated assurance reporting on regular basis.
The document also suggested a number of cost-saving measures designed to bridge the “significant” funding gap in the region of £4 million, some of which included reviewing commercial contracts and increasing business in that area as well as introducing charges for DIY waste at its HWRCs (see letsrecycle.com story).
The business plan went before the council’s cabinet for final approval yesterday (7 March).
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