THE company that has cleaned West Somerset Council’s streets and public toilets for the last nine years will cease work at the end of November.

Veolia Environmental Services will be replaced by The Landscape Group on December 1.

A special council meeting was told on Wednesday (August 31) that Veolia’s contract was “no longer compliant with financial regulations”.

Cllr Martin Dewdney, lead member for the environment, told members that Veolia’s contract had been extended several times and was now outside the permitted extension schedule.

“This means that the contract is no longer compliant with financial regulations,” he added.

“A report was taken to full council in July 2015, requesting the current extension which would end on September 30, 2016.”

He said the contract had subsequently been extended by another two months to give officers time to answer questions raised by bidders.

Cllr Dewdney said there had been five bids for the contract, including one from Veolia, which had been unsuccessful following the evaluation process.

The Landscape Group was placed first for both financial and quality assessments and was the preferred bidder for both West Somerset Council and its partner Taunton Deane Borough Council.

“The Landscape Group is recommended to members as the preferred bidder on the basis of its bid being the least cost to the authority ..."