The city’s waste and recycling collections, street cleaning, grounds maintenance and some highways services have been delivered by council-owned firm Liverpool Streetscene Services (LSSL) since 2016.

The council said bringing staff back under its control would have ‘no direct impact’ on household waste collection, but said it hoped it would improve the city’s low recycling rates and strengthen environmental enforcement.

It said several factors had prompted a rethink of the outsourced model, including upcoming national legislation on food waste collection and its new neighbourhood model.

Costs of the change, for example for changes to vehicle livery, will be less than £1m, according to a report.

Transferring LSSL staff onto the council’s pension scheme will result in extra costs of £1.9m a year.

If the proposals are approved by cabinet, LSSL staff would be transferred by next October.

Council leader Liam Robinson said: ‘Insourcing is not a decision we have taken lightly, but there is clear evidence that having all of our environmental services under one roof can create positive benefits and outcomes for the city’s residents.’

He said he wanted to make ‘crystal clear’ that the decision was not a reflection on LSSL staff, who had ‘consistently delivered tremendous work’.

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