THE company which delivers waste collection services in Basingstoke has apologised, as it laid out its plans to improve.

Serco was awarded a £44million eight-year joint contract in 2018 with Basingstoke and

Deane Borough Council and Hart District Council, replacing previous contractor Veolia. The contract is valued at £5.5million a year.

It is in charge of waste removal from approximately 122,000 properties and has 115 staff employed, including about 40 drivers and 65 loaders, as well as 40 refuse collection vehicles.

SEE ALSO: 'Sad and lonely' man jailed for over two years after downloading thousands of indecent images of children

There are currently 13 vacancies.

You can read the full story in this week’s edition of the Gazette

Also in this week's paper:

  • A housing association has submitted a planning application for the major regeneration of a part of Basingstoke, including hundreds of new homes
  • A Basingstoke secondary school has been told it is providing pupils with an “unacceptably poor education” and has been in a “state of serious decline over time”
  • Residents visiting Eastrop Park in Basingstoke will be able to park for free for two hours when planned car parking charges are introduced in September
  • Businesses in Basingstoke have spoken out about the ‘death of the high street’ and have urged shoppers to show their support for local firms
  • A man has been jailed for six years after officers found cocaine and more than £31,000 in a BMW he was driving near Basingstoke
  • A play area in Basingstoke is finally set to be assessed for ‘remedial action’ after it has been partially closed for nearly 18 months
  • A motion to make venues which sell alcohol prevent sexual harassment has moved a step closer to becoming a reality
  • PLUS: All the latest from Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.
  • Two pages of your letters to the editor.
  • Pictures: Wheely good fun at festival
  • Two pages of news from our communities
  • An eight-page puzzle special
  • Two pages of business news
  • Three pages of entertainment news
  • Four pages of sports news. And much more!

READ MORE: More 'scientific evidence' about water supply needed before developments go ahead, say experts

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