Waste company Serco has reportedly lost out on a lucrative contract with the new Buckinghamshire Council, according to an internal staff emailed leaked to the Bucks Free Press.

The company has been in a joint waste contract with Wycombe District Council and Chiltern District Council since 2013, but with all district councils and the county council being scrapped, a new contract was needed.

According to an email to staff from Serco contract manager Guy Baber – which has been seen by the Bucks Free Press – the company went head to head with Veolia and Biffa to win the new waste collection contract, which is due to start on September 7 this year.

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However, Serco was unsuccessful – apparently losing out to Veolia – in a move that was branded “extremely regrettable”.

While the reasons Serco lost out on the contract have not been made public, it comes amid a backdrop of complaints about the quality of the service from frustrated Wycombe residents and councillors.

In December last year, Cllr Matt Knight, who represents residents in Micklefield, said he had been getting “increased complaints” about the bin collection service.

Cllr Knight said: “Collections seem to be frequently missed, collection days have been changed without notice, the required location of bins to be placed for collection has been changed, again without notice, and damaged bins have not been replaced like for like.

“Increasingly it would appear that collection crews are having to work late into the evening in order to complete rounds which are perhaps unrealistic. This makes me concerned for staff welfare and safety.”

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And in June 2018, this paper reported how Wycombe District Council raked in £226,000 that year from waste company Serco after the company was sanctioned for missed collections.

The sum related to a number of fines imposed on the business over the “three or four years” before then, finance chief Cllr David Watson said.

Cllr Watson also said the council had been chasing Serco “for some time” for the money.

In the letter to all staff members, Mr Baber reassured them their jobs are safe, saying they will “transfer over to the new company”.

He said: “You’ll remember that for the last 18 months or so, Serco have been in a procurement phase along with Biffa and Veolia for q new contract starting Monday, 7th September 2020.

“You’ll also remember that the contract will be with the new Buckinghamshire Council as all the district councils dissolve to become one on 1st April.

“When I first arrived in summer 2015, this contract, as some will remember, was in bad shape for a variety of reasons. Since then, all of us have contributed to make the contract one of the best within Environmental Services with the tools given to us to use on a daily basis.

“I am so proud of how far we have come, and I thank you for your contribution in getting us there.

“It is therefore extremely regrettable that Serco have not been successful in this recent procurement so will leave the contract on Sunday 6th September. Veolia have been the successful contractor across both depots (subject to any legal challenge).”

He added that Veolia staff will be starting a handover “in the next month or two”.

The letter said: “Please may I be clear that, for those of you new to this type of work, your jobs are safe… I will provide more details as and when they become available.

“For now, it is business as usual as we have a day job to do, I full expect you to carry on as normal.”

The Bucks Free Press contacted Serco about the letter and a spokesman said it is “not something we can comment on at the moment”.

A council spokesman added: “The Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe District Councils are not in a position to comment on live procurement.”