South Lanarkshire Council spend £80,000 a year on call out charges to repair and replace vehicle tyres on its own premises.
Since 2018, the council have relied on external contractor McConechy’s to fit and repair the tyres on their 1700 vehicles.
Every year, more than 4000 tyres are replaced on the council’s fleet and McConechy’s apply a call out charge to every job, while previous contractor Strathclyde Tyres – who went out of business in 2018 – didn’t charge a call out fee for jobs at council depots.
As a result, the council will now hire its own tyre fitter, which will save around £50,000 a year.
In a report to the council’s community and enterprise resources committee, executive director Michael McGlynn said: “The majority of tyres are fitted in council premises during scheduled maintenance or booked in by the driver when issues are identified.
“Where vehicles are immobilised due to a damaged or punctured tyre, the contractor sends a mobile tyre fitter to attend either the depot or roadside location.
“[Strathclyde Tyres] ceased trading in 2018 and was replaced by McConechy’s Tyre Service, who apply callout charges to all jobs, which is permissible within the terms of the contract.
“The additional charges is estimated at £80,000 per annum.
“Fleet Services propose to bring tyre fitment and repair in house by adding a dedicated mechanic (tyre fitter) within the Fleet Services’ establishment.
“The existing workshop facilities will accommodate the tyre fitting service with a limited investment of approximately £15,000 required for equipment.
“The cost to employ a tyre fitter is £30,000. A saving of £80,000 would be made by removing call outs to workshops and depots, therefore, there is a net saving of approximately £50,000.”
