HCC staff fear jobs will be outsourced

The handing of a turf and garden maintenance contract to a company wholly-owned by Christchurch City Council has done nothing to alleviate the jitters of Hamilton City Council staff as they face a review of council operations.

Hamilton City Council chief executive Michael Redman said the appointment of new provider City Care was "not even relevant" to the service delivery review the council is undertaking and was a contract which had been outsourced for more than five years.

City Care won the three-year contract from Whangarei-based Recreational Services to look after Hamilton's roadside turf mowing and street-garden maintenance in a tender process when the contract came up for renewal.

The contract is 45 per cent funded by New Zealand Transport Agency and has to be fully contestable when it comes up for renewal. The City Care contract was not included in the council's wide-ranging service delivery review because it was already being outsourced.

A source told the Waikato Times speculation was rife among council staff, whose contracts do not allow them to speak to reporters, that they could lose their jobs and be replaced by workers based out of the region.

But Mr Redman said the council had not even completed evaluations of service delivery options – never mind looked at who the providers were.

City Care chief executive Onno Mulder said the company hoped securing the contract would act as a springboard to further work in the area.

"We look forward to building a strong partnership with Hamilton City Council, using our experience to deliver and expertise to deliver world-class service to the local community," he said.

City Care employed nine new staff within the Hamilton area to carry out the work.

As well as maintaining streetscapes for councils, City Care also carries out park and reserves maintenance and has contracts with North Shore City Council, Rodney District Council, Tauranga City Council and Whakatane District Council.

Waikato University political science senior lecturer Alan Simpson said there was an ongoing trend for councils to contract work out in order to save money.

Meanwhile, the council has disbanded its four person carpentry team due to a lack of work. Two staff have been made redundant and two are being employed as handymen.