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25
Oct 2023
Council hires West Yorkshire company to clean Ripon toilets amid staffing issues
North Yorkshire Council has hired a West Yorkshire company to clean toilets in Masham and Ripon amid staffing issues.
Cleaning at public toilets in both areas of the Harrogate district were previously carried out by the local authority.
However, council officials said the service had been “failing” due to a lack of staff and the toilets were at risk of closure if a contractor was not brought in.
As a result, a £32,760 contract has been directly awarded with no competitive tender to Marsden Contract Services.
According to the government's contract portal, the company is based on Hollins Lane in Keighley although its website says it is based in Skipton.
Karl Battersby, corporate director for environmental services at the council, said the move was necessary as a recruitment process had found “no suitable applicants” to take on the cleaning roles.
When asked why the service was not put out to competitive tender, Mr Battersby added:
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