Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Service Delivery) on the options to provide additional cleansing services in the District’s town centres on Sundays.

Accepted in principle the introduction of cleansing services on Sundays in the market towns across the District, requested that financial contributions towards the cost of implementing additional cleansing be sought from the relevant town Councils and that the Head of Operations investigate the feasibility of rescheduling cleansing rotas within existing resources and report back on the findings to a future meeting.

Further to Minute No. 08/59, Councillor J A Ablewhite presented a further report by the Overview & Scrutiny Panel (Service Delivery) addressing the issues raised by Cabinet on the proposed introduction of additional cleansing services in the town centres on Sunday mornings to deal with the effects of the Saturday night time economy.

In discussing those matters further, Members felt that the Panel still had failed to explain sufficiently the scope for any redistribution of cleansing schedule in the operations division, the precise extent of the streets to be cleaned and whether financial contributions were likely to be forthcoming from the Town Councils towards an enhanced service.  Nevertheless Cabinet expressed support for the principle of a cleansing service on Sundays to improve the appearance of town centres for shoppers and tourists, subject to agreement on the costs involved, it was therefore

RESOLVED

(a)  that the introduction of cleansing services on Sundays in the market towns across the District be accepted in principle;

(b)  that financial contributions towards the cost of implementing additional cleansing be sought from the relevant town Councils;

(c)  that the Head of Operations be requested to investigate the feasibility of rescheduling cleansing rotas within existing resources; and

(d)  that a further report on the investigations undertaken be submitted to a future meeting.

To consider a report on the Cabinet’s decisions in response to the Panel’s recommendations on the Enhanced Cleansing Services report.

15 Minutes.

(Councillor C R Hyams, Executive Councillor for Operational and Countryside Services, was in attendance for this item).

Pursuant to Minute No. 20, the Panel considered a report by the Head of Administration (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) on the Cabinet’s response to the Panel’s recommendations arising from the study on Enhanced Cleansing Services for the District’s market towns. 

Having noted the Cabinet’s requests for further information on the operational issues associated with the scope of the areas to be cleaned and the delivery of the service, the Head of Operations confirmed that those areas highlighted within the plans originally circulated with the report represented the minimum deemed necessary for cleansing. Having regard to the Cabinet’s concerns relating to the effect of early morning noise on residents living within the vicinity of the areas to be cleaned, it was reported that the proposed cleansing service would be limited to the emptying of litter bins and the use of small mechanical road sweepers. In addition, it was noted that whilst employees would report to Eastfield House at 6:00am, work in the market towns would not start until approximately 7.30am.

The Panel endorsed the view that financial contributions should be sought from the Town Councils but stressed that this should only be done once the Cabinet had agreed the principle of providing an enhanced cleansing service.  This would then enable the Executive Councillor for Operational and Countryside Services to arrange for a financial proposal to be prepared for consideration as part of the Council’s Medium Term Planning process.  It was, therefore

RESOLVED

  that the Cabinet be formally notified of the Panel’s responses to the points of clarifications sought.