Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

The winner was ...... Balfour Beatty.

Wiltshire Council has announced that a multi-million pound contract to maintain Wiltshire highways and streetscene has been awarded to Balfour Beatty Living Places, subject to a 10-day stand still period.

Local decision-making will be at the forefront of the contract which deals with services such as highway maintenance, grass cutting, litter collection and street lighting.

Currently the services, which also include dealing with winter weather, drainage and bridges, are covered by four different organisations, including an in-house team, but under the new contract the works will be carried out by one contractor. The value of the contract over five years will be around £150m.

The decision was made as the government announced Wiltshire would receive a further £3.6m of additional funding for highways maintenance over the next two years as part of a drive (!) to improve transport infrastructure across England.