The Portfolio Holders for Environment and Recycling and Safer Communities will be in attendance to answer any questions raised by Members
Minutes:
Two Portfolio Holders were in attendance, Councillor Mrs Ann Beech – Environment and Recycling and Councillor Tony Kearon – Safer Communities to provide a verbal update on their priorities and work objectives.
Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities, Tony Kearon advised that since the last time he attended Cleaner, Greener and Safer Communities Committee funding had been secured for the community safety work. Funding had also been received from the Police, Crime and Commissioner (PCC). There had been ongoing discussions with the PCC on his ambitions around Staffordshire and Newcastle Borough. The funding received was double that received from the home office funding.
The PCC had guaranteed funding for the next three years and have developed a lot of intervention work which helped to reduce anti-social behaviour in the long term. In the two years Newcastle was the only place anti-social behaviour had been reduced. There had been an increase of anti-social behaviour reported pushing to a 90% satisfaction of the offence being reported.
There was a good working relationship with the Police. Any anti-social behaviour was reported to Aspire Housing, Newcastle Borough Council or the Police.
The Chair opened the meeting for any questions from Members.
Q1 The PCSOs around Kidsgrove have been changed into a response team, was it correct in terms of an extra 24 hour Officer?
Also the Senior Partnership Officer’s team had been providing an excellent service in connection with the Minors Estate, Kidsgrove.
A1 Through discussions at county level there was concern that if there was a reduction in policing the situation would be looked at.
A Member commented that Chief Inspector Riley’s integration into the community had found her to be very responsive and praised the Senior Partnership Officer’s team in providing a very good service.
The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Recycling broke the Operational Service down into Sections:-
Streetscene
It had been a busy summer with the hot weather. The section covered litter, collecting fees for bowling and tennis clubs. The grass cutting would now cease and focus would be on the winter work, including shrub pruning and leaf clearance.
The Portfolio Holder had carried out visits with the LEQ team to see how targets were met for standards and maintenance, recently achieving Gold and gained eleven green flags, making the Borough the best in Staffordshire and passed on her praise to the Head of Operations and his team.
Litter education had been carried out, involving working the schools i.e. litter picking and public awareness campaigns had been carried out over the summer.
Grounds Maintenance continue to support the Friends Groups within the Borough. The Park Attendants provide assistance with the Friends Groups as well as maintaining the parks.
Allotments – currently meetings are ongoing with Silverdale Parish Council. On the 19 September 2014 saw the handover of Park Road allotment. The Association run the allotment for their own Committee and was working well Discussions were now taking place with The Acre allotment. Notices had been served on the plotholders and they were offered alternative sites for garden use only but had declined. A decision would be made by the Parish by the 31st December 2014.
Bedding Plants – Stoke-on-Trent City Council previously supplied all the plants but had closed down the greenhouse, now the plants are supplied by Stafford Borough Council.
Crematorium – The memorial safety testing programme was currently underway, Newcastle, Silverdale and Attwood Street had been completed.
An order had been placed for relining of the cremator.
Waste Operations
The Cabinet Waste Panel are holding a meeting on Wednesday 8 October 2014 to discuss the current and new service which comes into effect 2016. There was a need to review the project plan. WRAP were providing assistance on the alternations that would be carried out at the depot.
Food Environment
To maintain food hygiene was maintained.
Local Air Quality
Thirty eight properties are currently being monitored around the Borough. There was also air quality monitoring taking in place in the Queens Gardens.
The Borough Council had recently been notified that it had been awarded the Purple Flag Status for Newcastle.
A question had been submitted from a Member which had been raised at a Residents Association meeting - A couple of residents have had large items dumped in alleyways at the back of their houses and had been told by Officers the Council was not responsible for unadopted areas and so could not clear items away for free. It was asked (a) if fly tipping was on the increase in the Borough, (b) how much of it was costing the district, (c) if an increase was as a result of increased charges for removal and residents refusal to pay which compounds the problem and (d) what had the Council in place to reduce fly tipping, including on unadopted land?
The Member also believed Aspire Housing were having similar problems and did the Council work with them to address this?
The Portfolio Holder advised she would report back with the information relating to (b). There had been no reported increase in fly tipping and only if the source was found could enforcement action be taken.
A Member stated that fly tipping must be treated as a priority especially in relation to fridges as they pose a safety risk to children.
The Executive Director of Operational Services advised that Furniture Mine were part of Aspire Housing and would not remove white goods even if payment was made but he would look into this. Any fly tipping not on the public highway, including white goods, was not the responsibility of Newcastle Borough Council. It was advised that repeat incidences should be raised through the LAPs. If public safety was at risk it would be prioritised through the resources.
A Member asked if the Borough Council could open up negotiations with Kidsgrove Town Council to support employment costs for an extra Park Attendant for Clough Hall Park. The Portfolio Holder agreed to this.
A Member advised the Committee that he had reported an incident of litter, not as a Councillor, but as a member of the public and within two hours the crew had finished the request and wanted to pass on his thanks to the Executive Director of Operational Services and to the Portfolio Holder.
RESOLVED:-
(a) That the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Recycling provide the information on how much it was costing the district in relation to fly tipping to the Member who asked the question.
(b) That the Borough Council open up negotiations with Kidsgrove Town Council for an extra Park Attendant.