Issue - meetings

Report ES18019

Members considered the performance of Kier Environmental Services for Street Cleansing.

Report ES18019 reviewed factors affecting cleanliness standards, examined trends in performance and public feedback/satisfaction levels, proposed improvements, and provided a focus for the strategy and direction of street environment services.

Key performance areas measuring street cleaning standards and effectiveness comprised:

·contractor performance monitoring following routine scheduled street cleaning operations;

·measuring public satisfaction with street cleanliness; and

·analysis of customer feedback/reports and trend information.

The contractor’s performance on cleanliness levels fell to satisfactory as measured from regular inspections and by mid-February 2018 235 default correction notices had been issued for works failing to meet required standards during 2017/18. 

The Neighbourhood Management client team undertake a minimum 23,200 inspections of footway and carriageway assets to provide 90% confidence that works are to required standards. The Neighbourhood Manager (Street Environment contracts) also undertakes a bi-monthly evaluation to ensure inspections are made to sufficient levels to meet monthly objectives. The client team was projected to undertake 22,500 annual inspections by the end of the year compared to 17,686 for 2016/17. Contract monitoring data in Report ES18019 outlined contractor performance during 2017/18.

The annual independent satisfaction survey indicated a maintenance of standards overall with 7% improvement in residents identifying their streets as ‘clean’ and an 8% improvement in residents noting a reduction of ‘dog fouling’. However, the survey scored autumnal leaf fall clearance less favourably from a residential street perspective and from a town centre perspective, levels of cigarette litter and chewing gum also scored less favourably (5% satisfaction reduction due to ‘cigarette ends’). Other littering issues were also identified, particularly those in country lanes, as was fly-tipping, particularly lower volume incidents, occurring in residential roads. Outcomes from the survey, including trend analysis, are used to focus resources on improvement.

From 2015 to 2017, the percentage of enquiries through Fix My Street (FMS) continued to rise although the overall level of enquiries reduced. On average 751 street cleansing enquiries were received per month via FMS with an average 10 day time period between reporting and fixing a problem. A reduction in street sweeping enquiries between October and November 2017 was the likely result of a changed approach to leaf removal. Autumn leafing had the lowest favourable score for residential streets in the 2017 survey and through a new methodology between 23rd October 2017 and 8th January 2018 removed tonnage increased 17.16% (by 29th January 2018) on levels removed in 2015 and 2016. Initial weeks of the programme focused on roads with a density of Horse Chestnut trees known to be first in shedding leaves.

The Heavily Parked Roads scheme launched last September focused cleansing resources on 136 local roads nominated by Councillors as having heavy residential and/or commuter parking. An alternative treatment schedule for the roads required action outside of ordinary working hours, particularly weekend and evening working, and prioritisation to channel cleansing and detritus removal (with litter removal maintained through existing schedules).

A new Street Scrubber machine had also been operating  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71