By Rebecca Maer
Ten default notices to claw back money from grounds maintenance contractor idverde have been issued by Eastbourne Borough Council over the last 18 months.
idverde is paid around £70,000 a month for work in Eastbourne, according to council contract data.
A Freedom of Information (FoI) request by Eastbourne Reporter has revealed the extent of the company’s failure to meet the expected standard.
The total value of the existing grounds maintenance contract across Lewes and Eastbourne is £2.244 million a year; the Eastbourne element is £1.056 million.
The grounds maintenance contract is being put out to tender again this summer for renewal in spring 2026. It will be awarded based 40% on price and 60% on quality, according to a report to the council last month.
Eastbourne council’s grounds maintenance provision is currently provided through the contract with idverde, plus separate agreements with Milhams and other local businesses. Default notices are issued when work is not fulfilled to the standard set out in the contract.
The Eastbourne Reporter submitted an FoI request to ask also how much money had been recovered from idverde for work by volunteers from the Friends of Eastbourne Seafront on flowerbeds, but was told this was exempt as it could prejudice commercial interests.
The questions and answers
We asked Eastbourne Borough Council the following questions under the Freedom of Information Act:
1. How many omission notices to rectify areas not to contract standard have been issued to idverde by Eastbourne Borough Council since October 2023?
Answer: The council does not issue omission notices.
2. How many default notices to subtract money from the contract have been issued to idverde by Eastbourne Borough Council since October 2023?
Answer: Ten
3. How much has money has been recovered from idverde under variation orders to account for work undertaken by volunteers from the Friends of Eastbourne Seafront on seafront flowerbeds since April 2024?
Answer: exempt under Section 43 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We were told: “The council will soon be negotiating new contracts for this work and to put details of previous financial transactions in the public domain could have a negative effect on those negotiations.”
Section 43 of the act states that information is exempt if it constitutes a “trade secret“ and if disclosure would be likely to prejudice commercial interests (including the public authority holding it).
What has the council decided to do about grounds maintenance?
Liberal Democrat-controlled Eastbourne Borough Council’s (EBC) Cabinet decided last month not to take grounds maintenance back in house.
Eastbourne Reporter has asked idverde the following questions:
1. To which sub-standard areas of work did these default notices relate?
2. How much money was subtracted from the contract and returned to public funds?
3. Does idverde intend to bid for the next grounds contract, due to renew in March 2026?
idverde has yet to respond.
After cost-modelling by specialist consultant Ground Solutions, officers recommended going to market again to award a five-year contract with a possible five-year extension.
A report to Cabinet last month (19 March) recommended councillors approve a procurement process to again find an external contractor for grounds maintenance in a joint exercise with Lewes District Council. The two councils share some functions.
EBC agreed to delegate authority to Ian Fitzpatrick, deputy chief executive and director of regeneration and planning, in consultation with council leader Stephen Holt and the portfolio holder to “develop and progress operational and procurement plans to ensure new service arrangements are in place for April 2026”.
Why does the council not have its own parks maintenance team?
Ground Solutions noted a lack of depot space as being “a significant challenge” in taking the service in house along with the distance between Lewes and Eastbourne councils, which meant a central depot was not feasible.
It also concluded that going to the open market for an operator was the most cost-effective option.
The idverde contract in Eastbourne has proved controversial as volunteer litter pickers and gardeners helping to tidy the town have questioned how effective it is.
About 18 months ago, sacks of litter were left piled by bins in Gildredge Park which were not emptied for three weeks. The contract stipulates they are emptied three times a week.
Hastings Borough Council took their maintenance back in house three years ago, having previously used idverde.
The council has run its own grounds maintenance for parks and green areas since 2022.
It said at the time that taking it back in house meant it could work more closely with community groups and organisations including Plumpton College to support careers in the sector.
In Eastbourne, a group called Friends Together has been formed to co-ordinate the eight groups of volunteers across the town who are gardening in areas such as the seafront, various parks and Ocklynge cemetery.
The umbrella group has been in talks with the council, which is keen to work with volunteers.
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