A DECISION to hand an extra £500,000 of taxpayers’ money to an under-performing street cleaning company means the original council contract was flawed, it has been claimed.

Ruling councillors agreed to pay the money to contractor Kier for extra cleaning at the weekends and the removal of rubbish bags left by businesses.

But the move, which will push the cost of the contract to nearly £7million, has led to questions about the original contract drawn up by the council - which was meant to save money.

Cllr Michael Lewis, Conservative group deputy leader, said: “I have got a nasty feeling that the original contract specification did not cover all the points it should have done, and this is the fault of the administration.

“Kier has been working strictly to its brief, whereas when the contract was in-house there was more flexibility.”

Cllr Lewis added that the council should reduce the amount it spends on publicity, such as the recent ‘Wipe It Out’ campaign.

A council report said that flytipping and sacks left in the street account for nearly half of complaints. Cllr Belam confirmed the facility to quickly clear black bags was not in the original contract recommended by officers.

He said: “It would have been a good idea if someone had thought of it.

“Not including it could be seen as a mistake.” Cllr Belam added that he has no regrets about contracting Kier, saying the council has no intention of breaking the remaining four-year contract or returning the service in-house because, he says, the council no longer has the capacity.

He added: “I think in the 14 months Kier has improved, but there are still more improvements that can be made.

"I think this is the final piece in the jigsaw. “Latest results show the best service we have had. There will always be operational problems, but the problem is people dropping the litter.

“If people took more pride in their streets, they wouldn't look as bad."