Issue - meetings

Report ES18035

Members considered the draft 2018/21 Environment & Community Services Portfolio Plan setting out the Portfolio’s key service outcomes, associated issues (service drivers), aims, and performance measures.

A review of 2017/18 performance against the Portfolio Plan was also appended to Report ES18035as was a list of Formally Adopted Environmental Policies. 

With specific aims constantly evolving to reflect new challenges, a number of initiatives would be undertaken in 2018/19 including: 

·  completing the £11.8m highways capital programme;

·  implementing a number of major town centre public realm improvement projects;

·  improving parking management with the new contractor;

·  delivering local enhancements including tree planting, flower beds, and improved street furniture;

·  developing the successful Green Garden Waste Collection Scheme to reach more customers and to reduce traffic at Household Waste & Recycling Centres; and

·  supporting delivery of commissioning options for the Portfolio’s larger contracts from 2019 onwards.

Including a limited number of carefully chosen indicators to measure performance against service outcomes, the Plan outlined performance for 2017/18 and the previous three years (for comparison) along with targets for 2017/18 and subsequent three years (to gauge ambition).

A six-month progress update would be provided to the Committee’s meeting on 20th November 2018. Additionally, as a performance overview for each meeting, a dashboard of performance indicators against targets would be provided with a RAG status assigned to each (similar in format to the 2017/18 performance summary at Appendix 2 to Report ES18035).

The Portfolio Plan’s aims are delivered through the service contracts summarised in the ECS Contracts Register; delivery is also taken forward within the context of the Council’s formally adopted environmental policies.

In considering the Plan, Members put a number of questions to the Portfolio Holder.

On Fix My Street, the Portfolio Holder indicated that the facility can be accessed via the “Report it” tab on the home page of the Council’s website or via the Fix My Street Link (accessed from the home page via letter F). The reporting link had also been published in Environment Matters and Ward Members were encouraged to promote the facility.

For large amounts of paper and card generated by local business, high street businesses can work together to make their own recycling arrangements, often through facilities organised via a Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID).  Council facilities were effectively a disposer of last resort for business and the Council was unable to compete with large organisations such as BIFFA plc which concentrate on locations with many adjacent businesses. 

With weekend opening of the Waldo Road and Churchfields facilities more limited (compared to weekdays), it was suggested that residents might be discouraged from visiting the sites at weekends (often more convenient for residents at work in the week). However, the opening hours are limited by planning requirements and major noise abatement measures (effectively, covered facilities) would be needed to extend weekend opening. The Development Control Committee or its Planning Sub-Committees would need to consider any proposals. Open paper and cardboard containers at the sites had also been replaced with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6