Herefordshire Council has already cut short its wide-ranging public realm contract with Balfour Beatty, which will now come to an end next June. In its place, from April it plans to put in place a four-year “framework” made up of various “lots” together worth around £100 million. RELATED NEWS :This expands on a framework in use since last year, capped at £40 million, which brought in what the council called “a new, mixed economy for the delivery of highway and public realm schemes”. “It can help increase productivity while boosting our local economy, and ensuring value for money for our communities,” he said. Meanwhile it will also begin a separate public realm contract next June covering what it calls “high-volume, less specialised maintenance tasks” such as grass cutting, pothole repairs and litter bin emptying.