Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Officer, Environmental Action Service, seeking the views of the Community Committee on the focus of the East North East Locality Team for the 2016/17 municipal year

Councillor B Urry, Inner North East CC Environment Champion, introduced a report on proposals to refresh the Environmental Service Delegation for 2016/17. Councillor Urry noted the new functions acquired by the Environmental Action Service Locality Team during 2015/16 and welcomed the responsiveness of the team during the previous year.

John Woolmer, ENE Locality Manager, attended the meeting along with Amy Dickinson the Inner North East Area Team Leader. Members noted the request for their views on the issues they would like the Locality Team to focus on during 2016/17 in order to inform the update of the existing Service Agreement. The revised Agreement would then be considered by the Environmental advisory Sub Group and presented to the first committee meeting of the municipal year.

During discussions, the CC considered the following:

·  The success of the zonal operational working model which includes a team exclusively covering the three Inner North East wards

·  The success of the household bulky waste collection service and the reduction in the number of complaints about that service

·  The new partnership with Housing Management Leeds to address council housing stock

·  The work to increase recycling rates; with an incentive scheme being drawn up

·  The comments made in respect of the impact of the Christmas floods and the need to ensure roadside gullies and drains are maintained

·  The comment on the need to ensure that various service areas needed to work together to provide a continuous service

-  Finally the report included a request to consider two new areas of work for inclusion within the 2016/17EnvironmentalServiceAgreement in respect of: How the Council will work tosupportandensureits’tenants contribute to theeffectivemanagementofhouseholdwaste, and

-  How the EAS Team can work with the CC to identifypracticalopportunities to work withthecommunity/residentsto improverecyclingandre-useratesto help reducelandfillcosts,includinghowthatcanbemeaningfullymeasured.

RESOLVED -

a)  To note the content of the report, including the new functions introduced to the local service for 2015/16 and the introduction of a zonal approach/team;

b)  That the comments made during discussions be noted in respect of how Members and other stakeholders best contribute towards the development of the draft Service Agreement for 2016/17 – so that it is clear what the local focus is to be on in each ward and across the area;

c)  To note and support the suggestions made in paragraph 12 of the submitted report regarding the inclusion of relevant aspects of housing management and waste recycling into the Service Agreement.