Issue - meetings

To receive a report by the Interim Head of Service (Operations) regarding the Street Cleansing Service Specification.

Approve the Street Cleansing Service Specification and the publishing of core information regarding the service on the Council’s website.  The future service specification will be subject to review against the results of the NI 195 auditing of the service.

By way of a report from the Interim Head of Service (Operations) (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Cabinet was presented with the Street Cleansing Service Specification.

The Street Cleansing Service Specification had been developed to better direct the street cleansing activities delivered by the Operations Service, and to make cleansing frequencies and standards more transparent for the residents of the District.

The service had operated outside of the previously adopted service specification and following a full review the proposed Specification had been developed and now included detailed zoning of all areas to be cleansed, as well as response times when there was a fall in the specified standard.

It was explained to the Cabinet that the Street Cleansing Service Specification was part of a suite of documents being devised and had been developed in line with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Active independent monitoring of the Street Cleansing Service was being introduced (NI 195 auditing) to a prescribed format and the results would be benchmarked nationally. In addition the service availability detail and the cleansing zones would be published on the Council’s Website to enable residents to have immediate access to the core information regarding the street cleansing service provided by the Council including maps of the zones.

Once in operation the Cabinet agreed that the residents of the District would receive an increase and more consistent delivery of service.  One area that the Cabinet stated required attention was the constant detritus along rural slip roads which it was considered would be improved by a mix of cleansing, awareness and enforcement.  It was requested that all Members be provided with information on how to report an incident of someone witnessed disposing of litter from their vehicle.

Having been invited to address the Cabinet, the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Economy and Growth) stated that the Panel had been satisfied with the report and had accepted that it was important to prioritise the Council’s resources regarding the type of graffiti removed.  The Panel had discussed the establishment of a Working Group to consider how to increase awareness and enforcement regarding dog fouling and littering and the Panel had suggested a press release should be issued as a deterrent for anyone fined for littering.  The Panel were pleased to note that a fall in standard from Grade A – D would receive a response time of one hour.  Whereupon the Cabinet,

RESOLVED

to approve the Street Cleansing Service Specification, as attached to the submitted report, and the publishing of core information regarding the service on the Council’s website.  The future service specification would be subject to review against the results of the NI 195 auditing of the service.

The Panel is to receive the Street Cleansing Service Specification. (To Follow)

With the aid of a report by the Interim Head of Operations (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the report on Street Cleansing Service Specification was presented to the Panel. The Panel were advised that the specification had been developed to be compliant with the Environmental Protection Act.

Members noted that in order to assist the prioritisation of street cleansing, the District had been zoned from one to four and the response times vary according to the zone. If there is a fall in standard from grade A to grade B within zone 1 then the Council will rectify the standard within five hours however if the standard drops from grade A to grade D then the Council will rectify the standard within one hour. Members noted that maps will be produced in order to clarify the zones and in particular the Town Centre area.

Following a request that the Council should remove all graffiti and not just offensive graffiti Members were advised that the specification makes reference to offensive graffiti as there was a legislative requirement to remove offensive graffiti.

The Panel recognised that although ideally all graffiti should be removed there are different scales of graffiti and it was important that, with the limited resources available, the Council prioritises its response. There was confirmation that the Council would remove graffiti from private land for a fee.

In response to a question on the cleansing of gullies, Members were advised that the Council only cleanse gullies on its own land and that Cambridgeshire County Council cleanse the rest.

After a discussion concerning the enforcement of dog fouling and littering, Members discussed the possibility of a working group to investigate developing an awareness campaign or targeted enforcement work such as littering from a car.

The Panel thought the specification was worthwhile and would like to see regular updates at future Panel meetings. The Panel,

RESOLVED

to recommend to Cabinet that the Street Cleansing Service Specification be endorsed.