Municipal cooperation with private partner for long-term security in public services
On 13 October, the city of Bad Belzig and the private recycling company REMONDIS signed a partnership agreement for long-term cooperation in the provision of public services. To this end, the joint Auffanggesellschaft Bad Belzig Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH was founded, whose chairmen are the mayor of the city of Bad Belzig, Roland Leisegang, on the municipal side and Dr Kristian Kassebohm for REMONDIS.
Both the municipal supervisory authority and the Federal Cartel Office, the town council as well as REMONDIS’ board have already given their approval to the project. As soon as the Stadtwerke’s insolvency administrator, the creditors’ meeting and the responsible district court in Potsdam also give the go-ahead, the new company can begin its work. The goal is a long-term cooperation within the framework of a public-private partnership to stabilise the budget while at the same time ensuring the provision of services related to the tasks of municipal public services.
Stadtwerke Bad Belzig had become insolvent due to irregularities in its energy trading so that the city had to look for a financially strong partner from the private sector in order to be able to continue to act in the future. REMONDIS, one of the leading recycling companies in Germany and Europe, has already been active in the region for many years with, among other things, municipal waste management and street cleaning services in Potsdam and Brandenburg an der Havel, a larger site for metal processing run by REMONDIS’ subsidiary, TSR, at the Brandenburg recycling park as well as winter services, green space maintenance, waste collection and water management services and facilities in various municipalities in the region.
Roland Leisegang, mayor of Bad Belzig, said, “When we were looking for a strong partner with whom we could secure the future of our public services in the long term, REMONDIS was our first choice due to its long-standing presence and efficiency in the region. With the partnership we want to face the challenges of the present and the future together.“
Kristian Kassebohm, managing director of REMONDIS, said, “At a time when climate change and the war in the Ukraine are causing enormous upheavals, not only on the energy markets, it is becoming increasingly difficult for municipalities and districts to cope with the burden of providing public services on their own. REMONDIS has already proven in over 100 PPPs that it is better to work together. In this respect, we are delighted that we have been given the opportunity to make a significant contribution to securing the supply and disposal of waste in Bad Belzig by contributing our capital and know-how.“
