CIVIC chiefs in Winchester have denied being ‘left in a difficult position’ after it was revealed East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) decided not to renew its bin collection partnership with the city council.

The decision was revealed in a report before an EHDC meeting last week. Until then, discussions between the councils had been held behind closed doors.

It means that WCC will now have to find a new partner before October 2019, when the current eight-year contract will come to an end.

According to the report, a decision to partner with Havant Borough Council instead was made by councillors over the summer, with a meeting agenda showing a key decision was made on July 31 regarding waste services.

Winchester Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Tod said the move “leaves Winchester City Council in a difficult position”.

Cllr Tod added: “Waste contracts are very complex to negotiate and we’re running out of time.

“I’m particularly concerned about getting doorstep glass recycling for people in Winchester. It’s not in the current contract, and there’s no deal or contract with anyone from October 2019 onwards.

“It’s a critical Lib Dem priority to make sure that doorstep glass recycling is part of any new contract.”

However, Conservative environment portfolio holder Cllr Jan Warwick said: “This is a great opportunity for the council to award a more responsive and efficient contract that will mean a much better service for local residents and we will be making sure we get the best possible value for money.

“The partnership with East Hampshire has been successful but there were a few problems about the sheer scale of the operation that meant it was not always responsive enough to the needs of Winchester taxpayers.

“We have already pledged to improve our waste collection with the promise to collect glass from the kerbside. This move is further evidence we are serious about making the service even better and more local because that is what residents want.”

Currently, waste services in the district and East Hampshire are carried out by firm Biffa under the deal agreed in 2011.

A spokesman for EHDC said: "Winchester City Council and East Hampshire District Council have enjoyed eight successful years working in partnership with Biffa and ID Verde to provide waste collection and environmental services.

"Both councils have carried out a joint, in-depth review of the current contract to determine how best to move forward after the contract ends in September 2019. At the time it was signed the partnership was ground-breaking and saved the tax payers more than a million pounds, but the outcome of the review revealed that it would be beneficial for both councils to pursue alternative options."

Speaking to the Chronicle, Cllr Tod also said taxpayers should have been made aware of the decision sooner: “People have the right to know what’s being done in their name by the council with their money as soon as it happens. It’s a disgrace that it’s taken so long to become public.”

Council leader Cllr Caroline Horrill defended the way the process had been handled, saying that the authority had been “completely transparent”.

Under the Local Government Act, councils have the right to exclude members of the public and press from commercially sensitive discussions.