Agenda item

To consider the report of the ENE Locality Manager, Environment and Neighbourhoods setting out the proposed local priorities, operational principles and service improvements to be included in the 2013/14 Service Level Agreement (SLA) to be agreed between the ENE Locality Team and the Inner East Area Committee at the June meeting; and seeking consideration of several other directly related issues including any enhanced services the Area Committee would like to buy-in for 2013/14 and see added to the SLA; £40k funding to support the establishment of a proposed “hit-squad” team; proposals to develop performance information relating to Waste Management Services provided in the area to complement the SLA; consultation on what information would be useful to Members in helping to support local increases in recycling rates and reductions in land-fill and the ongoing partnership with other complementary services such as Environmental Health and Highways to use the SLA mechanism to improve local influence and reporting.

(Report attached) (Time - 10 minutes)

EIAC considered the report of the ENE Locality Manager, Environment and Neighbourhoods presented in order to consult Members on which existing and new priorities the Area Committee would like to see addressed in the Service Level Agreement (SLA) for 2013/14, the intention being to present the refreshed SLA to the June meeting for approval.

John Woolmer, ENE Locality Manager, attended the meeting and highlighted the progress made with the new responsibilities included in the 2012/13 SLA.

The scope for enhanced local provision and the environmental issues which could be addressed with additional local resource had been considered by the EIAC Environmental Sub Group. The Sub Group suggested the Team focus on streets/land where estate design caused problems through a more multi-faceted approach. A share of £250k Housing Revenue Account funding had now been identified which would support the enhanced provision, however to ensure meaningful additional provision, the Area Committee should consider match funding the HRA. Members noted that the HRA monies were intended for use in predominantly council owned housing areas – which would exclude Harehills. The Sub Group had therefore proposed that any EIAC match funding would ensure all six of the identified problematic neighbourhoods within the EIAC area were included. Further work was required to develop a bid for EIAC to consider in the future, but Members were supportive of the initiative and the request to support it in principle to a maximum of £40k. The Locality Manager agreed to develop the proposals at risk so that implementation would not be unnecessarily delayed.

The report also set out proposals to develop supplementary reporting mechanisms, arising from joint working to tackle the environmental condition of neighbourhoods with Waste Management Services, Parks & Countryside and Highways. The additional reporting would enable Members to influence the targeting of resources and understand better the opportunities to support and improve issues such as local recycling rates. Their views on the type of performance information they required to help understand and influence these issues were sought.

Members expressed their thanks to the Team, noting the improvements identified within the respective localities. Members then went onto discuss the impact of highways works on refuse/bin collections and the need for liaison between the departments to ensure collections were not missed in order to prevent fly-tipping. The Locality Manager reported that the sharing of information between services on issues such as road closures was much improved, but that closures do not always happen as planned. EIAC identified the following matters to be referred to the Environmental Sub Group for detailed consideration:

·  The number, nature and outcome of the legal notices served in the Sandhurst locality

·  The design and types of refuse lorries used in back streets and the reasons why litter seems to be being deposited on the ground when bins are tipped in to the back and often left.

Members also raised specific concerns including litter picking in the Bancroft’s area, gulley cleansing on the A64, green bin collections in the Cross Green area, littering around Beckett Street and were advised that although not all those issues fall within the direct remit of the service, their concerns would be communicated to the relevant LCC department and the Locality Manager would provide assistance to finding solutions where possible. Members noted that refuse collection was not within the remit of the Locality Team service and requested that the relevant officer be invited to attend a future meeting to discuss Members concerns.

(Councillor Maqsood withdrew from the meeting at this point)