First wheelie bins, now Harrogate Council installs satellite trackers in cabs

Harrogate Borough Council is set to enter into a three-year contract with communications giant O2 to install the tracking technology in its vehicles which could see up to 90 fitted with the devices.

The move follows a pilot earlier this year where the council installed the tamper-proof tracking system in 26 of its vehicles, 24 within the parks service and two within the housing repair team.

The system allows council chiefs to monitor the current position of the fleet of vehicles and record how and where each one has been driven.

According to the head of parks and open spaces, the technology led to a saving of 882 litres of fuel over three months – as vehicles were no longer taking unnecessary journeys.

As a result of the pilot, this year’s parks and open spaces fuel budget has been reduced by 10 per cent and it is anticipated further savings will be made in the longer term.

O2 has initially proposed a three-year contract to Harrogate Borough Council, with a one 12-month break option allowing the council to terminate the deal with no penalty.

It is expected 35 GPS vehicle tracker units would be fitted during the first three years costing around £29,000, with the number of vehicles using them set to rise to at least 90 following that.

A report due to go before Coun Anthony Alton, cabinet member finance and resources, next week, recommends the council chooses O2 to pursue the scheme as it already provides the best mobile phone coverage of Harrogate which the system works on.

Last year, the Yorkshire Post revealed that Harrogate Borough Council is also planning to install microchips in new wheelie bins across the district as part of a £2.8m overhaul of the area with the worst recycling rates in North Yorkshire.

The rubbish monitoring devices are being fitted into all of the new wheelie bins, but council chiefs have assured residents the microchips will not be used to punish people for not recycling properly, but are being incorporated into bins now in case the council wanted to adopt a reward scheme a few years down the line.