Issue - meetings

Report ES15004

Report ES15004 outlined the performance of the Street Environment Contracts delivering day-to-day cleaning operations for the third year of the contract (January 2014 to February 2015). Services included street cleaning, graffiti removal, cleansing of public conveniences and cleansing of highway drainage assets.

The contract was let for an initial five year period (29/03/12 to 28/03/17), with the option to extend for a further two years subject to the Council being satisfied with the contractors’ performance. The contract was awarded as four lots to the following contractors:

-  Kier Environmental Services: street cleaning;

-  Community Clean: graffiti removal;

-  Kier Environmental Services: cleaning  public conveniences; and

-  Veolia Environmental Services: cleaning highway drainage assets.

The report reviewed factors affecting the standards of cleanliness achieved by contractors. It examined trends in performance and public feedback/satisfaction levels over the last three years and proposed improvements.

Standards and effectiveness of the street cleaning contract are measured in the following key performance areas:

·  regular inspections measuring street and environmental cleanliness in terms of litter, detritus, graffiti and fly-posting (formerly National Indicator 195);

·  monitoring contractor performance following routine scheduled street cleaning operations;

·  public satisfaction with street cleanliness; and

·  analysis of customer feedback/reports and trend information.

Representatives of Kier Environmental Services (Operations Manager and Business Manager) were in attendance to answer questions and outline further detail of the street cleaning operation in the borough.

Independent surveys were regularly undertaken with the latest taking place in Bromley Town Centre over the 2014 August Bank Holiday period. A postal survey was also undertaken with some 1,000 addresses in the borough (supplied by L B Bromley). Inspection findings measuring street and environmental cleanliness (formerly National Indicator 195) are based upon a survey of five wards per year, the wards for survey changing each year. As such the satisfaction outcome could expect to change. 

A Member commended street cleaners for their work, often only receiving feedback when there are concerns. On interaction with the work of other contractors such as Veolia in collecting household waste/recycling, the contract required Kier operatives to follow Veolia’s refuse and recycling collection rounds wherever possible. Kier had developed a working methodology where some 70% of roads subject to a waste and recycling collection are visited by cleaning operatives the next working day. There is also a degree of interaction with Veolia and other LBB contractors in areas such as co-ordinating the removal of fly-tipping.

There was concern that in rural areas of the borough litter seemed to remain in verges for some time. It was also hoped that trends from Fix my Street notifications would result in targeted cleansing in problem areas.

Street cleansing in country roads was undertaken every two weeks in winter and at four weekly intervals in the summer. Litter picking in shrub areas was carried out on the day of a cleaning sweep where safe to do so. It was also possible to close a road to undertake litter clearance where authority had been given. There had been a growth  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52