Agenda item

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 this. It was noted that a further update was being prepared for the press for residents to be aware of the work of this service in future. It was explained that the service collaborated closely with Fly-tipping Action Wales and had identified the advantages of using the 'Flymapper' tool in busy areas to tackle the problem. It was recognised that Bangor was an area where fly-tipping was a problem and that officers were developing a plan for the area to remind residents of waste disposal rules. If this campaign was a success, it was noted that it would be developed to be shared throughout the whole of Wales. Attention was drawn to Welsh Government plans to release a National Litter and Fly-tipping Prevention Plan and its publication would lead to the Department adapting its Code of Practice.

It was noted that one of the priorities of the Street Enforcement service during the winter was dealing with dog fouling. It was emphasised that this problem was an ongoing priority for the service and that officers had been restoring signs and bins during the winter. In response to an enquiry, as more dogs were in the area over recent years, it was noted that the Department was trying to find a balance in terms of purchasing more dog fouling bins. It was recognised that this was a challenge for the Department due to financial challenges and adding bins to empty on circuits affected workers' ability to empty them in a timely manner. Despite this, it was recognised that a change in regulations allowed dog owners to dispose of dog fouling in any public residual bin provided by the Council. It was mentioned that Public Spaces Protection Orders were currently being reviewed in accordance with statutory requirements to update them. It was confirmed that a consultation on the order would take place over the next few weeks and this would be an opportunity to voice an opinion about dog fouling problems in their areas among other associated matters.

It was explained that the Ardal Ni Tidying-up Team was very busy with a wide range of responsibilities. It was noted that this service was more visible to Gwynedd residents and the Department received positive feedback about their work on a regular basis. It was explained that the nature of the team's work was changing as it developed noting that considerable emphasis had recently been placed on town centre campaigns. It was confirmed that the workers were now experts on the equipment used to carry out the work. There was pride that Carmarthenshire County Council had recently launched tidying-up team campaigns, following a number of processes developed by Cyngor Gwynedd.

A member enquired whether it would be possible to disseminate the use of arrangements to make a request to the Ardal Ni Teams to other services. In response, the Head of Highways, Engineering and YGC Department noted that he would raise the matter at a meeting of the Corporate Management Team to discuss the possibility of disseminating the model.

It was confirmed that five smart bins had been installed in busy locations across the county. It was explained that the bins were powered by solar energy to compress the litter so that the frequent need to empty them would be reduced. It was noted that a message was sent by the bin to the service's systems informing them that it needed to be emptied before it overflowed and caused a mess. There was pride that the Department had succeeded to attract grant funding this year to invest in town centre infrastructure. It was explained that a proportion of the funding would be allocated to invest in more smart bins and smart benches. It was noted that smart bins were expensive and, therefore, the Department was collaborating with the Council's Information Technology Department to try to develop similar technology to use on bins in Gwynedd for a cheaper price rather than purchasing them.

In response to an enquiry, it was confirmed that it was intended to add more public recycling bins across the county. Despite this, it was noted that recycling bins that had already been located were being misused and, therefore, there was a need to resolve this problem before adding more of them. It was explained that the contents of residual bins and smart bins were not sorted as the contents were being incinerated.

Gratitude was expressed for the report.

RESOLVED

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