Issue - meetings

To update Members on the Streetscene Service.

To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Highways, Engineering and YGC, Head of Highways, Engineering and YGC Department, Street Services Manager and the Projects Manager. Reference was made to the following main points:

Following the transfer of the Waste and Recycling Collection Service to the Environment Department, it was noted that an opportunity had been taken to reorganise some services in the Department. It was explained that the Street Cleaning and Street Enforcement services, along with the Ardal Ni Tidying-up Teams, had been merged to create one new service named 'Streetscene Service' under one manager.  It was emphasised that the aim of the Streetscene Service was to try to reach the Council's objective of realising Clean and Tidy Communities throughout Gwynedd for the well-being of residents, visitors and the local economy.

It was noted that the Street Cleaning team acted on statutory requirements to ensure that streets in the county were clean, while the Street Enforcement team focussed on penalising people for polluting, tipping or for not picking up dog faeces. It was explained that the Ardal Ni Tidying-up Team was a relatively new team that contributed to improving the appearance and image of our streets and our environment.

It was reported that a detailed review of the Street Cleaning service had been completed and that an improvement plan had been developed based on that review. It was noted that the improvement plan focused on the quality and effectiveness of the service, information technology and green fleet development. It was emphasised that reviewing the circuits was a priority following the review. It was recognised that systems to arrange circuits and collections had now dated and created a challenge when seeking to deliver services. It was confirmed that the Department was investing in a new system to optimise circuits hoping that this would be a resource to ensure a modern and efficient service which contributed towards the county's image, and also support to meet current savings' targets. It was explained that the system could draw up new circuits to ensure that time was better managed and also offered improvements to the fleet.

There was pride that the Department had been successful in receiving a financial bid to establish Urban Cleaners. It was detailed that it was hoped that workers would use an electric waste cart and cleaner in towns in all areas of Gwynedd. It was noted that it was intended to change working hours in urban areas (including villages) from 5am to 1pm so that they worked from 8am to 4pm whilst continuing to comply with the code of practice on sufficient street cleanliness by 8am where appropriate. It was hoped that this would ensure that the teams were visible for the public and kindle an appreciation for their work.

It was reported that the Department had managed to appoint more officers to the Street Enforcement service following a challenging period. It was confirmed that the number of penalties issued had recently increased as a result of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7