Agenda item

The Committee considered a report on Streetscene.  The report provided an update on staffing, fleet, customer satisfaction and benchmarking. 

Staff attendance had been very good during the pandemic.  Resources had been redirected to support Recycling and Waste services with some core streetscene work such as litter collection and street sweeping being reprioritised.  There remained a backlog in this area of work which had also been impacted by the suspension of key partner support including Community Payback and resident volunteering. 

The report outlined that the team had an ageing profile but succession planning measures were in place that saw job roles reviewed when posts became vacant.  There was also training in place and investment in equipment, technology and machinery.  A number of apprentices had progressed to seasonal or permanent roles at the council. 

There was a Fleet Replacement Programme in place that was regularly reviewed and expenditure staggered across the years.  

Customer satisfaction surveys were carried out most years and results were presented.  In 2020/21 86% thought their street was litter free or had low level litter and 73% thought their neighbourhood was litter free or had low level litter.  The streetscene team also engaged with the community at various meetings including LAPs and Town/Parish Councils and through discussion with ward members. 

The service was benchmarked in a number of ways including as a member of the Association of Public Sector Excellence Performance Networks.  The service compared well with similar size councils and had reached the top 8 nationally in best performing or most improved categories on a number of recent occasions. 

The future of the service would see a focus on a demand led performance approach rather than one based on frequency. 

Members raised issues and queries as follows:

·         What was the programme for grass cutting in rural areas?  This would depend on the type including formal and informal open space; in urban areas town centre roundabouts were cut more frequently.  It was noted that the council no longer cut Highways land.  Amenity grass was cut when it reached around 75mm.  Grass cutting was also based on seasonal and weather factors; supervisors would ensure the situation was kept under review. 

·         What was the road sweeping schedule?  This was based on a demand led approach so areas of higher need would be swept more often. In general, urban roads were swept more frequently than rural roads.

·         It was noted that core passageways and subways were often filled with litter and debris.  Members were informed that these areas were cleansed daily but it was a constant challenge.  There had also previously been additional support in high use areas from partners such as Community Payback but it was unclear whether support would be available in the future.   

·         Members commended the work of the service on public gardens.

·         Members queried how the service could continue to meet the needs of the borough as it grew in terms of residential and other growth.  In response, this was a decision for the council in terms of service growth and prioritisation.  Officers undertook service planning to identify demand; town centres tended to be the focus.  There would be opportunities as part of the One Council programme such as use of technology as outlined previously to facilitate job requests while out in the area rather than returning to the depot to pick up a task.  The committee was reminded that housing and growth did bring income into the borough through council tax and business rates alongside also bringing additional demand for services.    

RESOLVED: that the Cabinet be requested to review the strategic direction of operational services based on the next 5-10 years growth and consider how the service can be protected and grown, proportionate to predicted growth.