ANNEX 1
City of York Council Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
Scrutiny of
‘The Cleaning of Gullies, Gutters, Footpaths and Back Lanes
on Terraced Streets’
2
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
3
Contents
Chairs Foreword
Pg. 4
Executive Summary
Pg. 4
Summary of Recommendations
Pg. 5
Summary of Implications for the City of York Council
Pg. 6
Final Report
Pg. 7
Contact Details
Pg. 17
Background Papers / Publications
Pg. 17
Annex
Parking Tickets Issued For Vehicles Not
Moved after notice of Street Cleansing.
Pg. 19
Annex B:
Extract from CYC Website Re; Drains and
sewerage
Pg. 19
Annex C:
Census data regarding terraces as high noncar owning households
Pg. 20
A:
Annex D:
Student Poster
Pg. 21
Annex E:
Costings for Production and reproduction of
the Student Poster
Sample design for the luggage type label
pilot.
Pg. 22
Sample Alley Gating Consultation Letter and
Declaration Of Owners / Occupiers
Agreement.
Pg. 23
Annex F:
Annex G:
Pg. 22
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
CHAIR’S FOREWORD
The condition of York’s terraced areas and the proper approaches required to
maintain high standards of cleanliness have been a matter of concern for some
time. For this reason Members of the Commercial Services Scrutiny Board felt
that spending a number of months looking at the ways in which such areas
could be improved would be of great value to the communities living there and
the officers who serve them.
Having completed their scrutiny the Board believe that genuine and lasting
improvements in cleanliness can only be achieved through partnership. In this
partnership the staff of Commercial Services work not only in co-operation with
other Council departments but also with the backing and co-operation of
terraced communities who understand their own responsibilities and the
benefits of such a relationship.
This may mean doing something as simple as moving a car at the right time to
enable gully cleansing, spending just a moment more to make sure rubbish is
presented properly, or finding out more and getting involved with recycling in
their area. To the many good neighbours who already do so we send our
thanks.
We sincerely hope that the recommendations in this report will help to make the
terraces of York cleaner and tidier for all those who live in or use them. We
would like to extend our particular thanks to the officers in Commercial Services
and Street Environment who have helped us with this scrutiny topic.
Cllr. Irene Waudby
Chair of the Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Between June 2004 and April 2005 the City of York Council Commercial Services
Scrutiny Board conducted a review of ‘The Cleaning of Gullies, Gutters, Footpaths
and Back Lanes on Terraced Streets’.
The Board set clear objectives at the outset of their review to ensure that the
investigation fully explored not only the cross-directorate roles in achieving effective
cleaning procedures, but also took into account the cultural climate for
improvement and the roles and responsibilities of the terraced communities
themselves.
The Board’s final report includes a few clear recommendations reflecting this
approach which balances the monitoring of recent initiatives with some new
proposals for working practices, which they believe are key to a partnership for
improvement.
The Board’s understanding of their own role in continuous improvement for this area
is clear in the report when the Board shows its commitment to further work which
emerged for consideration during this scrutiny. This has been most strongly
evidenced in respect of the recycling issues highlighted, which the Board hope to
address as part of their next scrutiny investigation.
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
5
Summary of Recommendations
Recommendation 1.
In order for the Board to judge the effectiveness of recent changes to the gully
cleansing regime Members of the Commercial Services Scrutiny Board wish to
receive quarterly reports:
1. Showing Any changes in the level of complaints related to gully cleansing with
comparative data for the same period prior to the changes being implemented.
2. Such reports should commence upon approval of this report and continue for a
period of not less than 1 year.
Recommendation 2.
That Commercial Services officers consult with officers in the Neighbourhood Pride
Unit to assess the feasibility of informing residents, through Your Ward newsletters,
of their role in gully cleansing and placing notice of gully cleansing dates when
parked vehicles should be removed before cleansing takes place. This measure
should be additional to notice served direct to householders.
Recommendation 3.
That officers in Commercial Services present jointly drafted reports with officers
from Street Environment and presented on a quarterly basis advising Members of:
§ The position in respect of wrongly presented waste in key terraces prior to the
introduction of luggage labels
§ the impact in their view of the introduction of the luggage label system
Recommendation 4.
The Board consider that the specific issue of improving recycling facilities for
terraces should be better addressed and propose the following short term and long
term solutions:
a) Terraced Streets where the properties have forecour ts should be issued with
green boxes; subject to service availability.
b) The broader issue of recycling and terraced streets should be considered as
part of the Boards next scrutiny topic and the Disabled Persons Advisory Group
should be key consultees.
Recommendation 5.
That in terraced streets only, Officers in the waste collection crews should be
allowed to collect a minimal amount of side waste where the amount meant is at
the discretion of the senior officers within the service. Where side waste exceeds
this amount Officers in the waste collection crews should immediately label the
waste as excess and alert Street Environment Officers so that they can remove the
waste trace the owners and begin legal enforcement procedures.
Recommendation 6.
That the first stage warning letter sent out to residents mispresenting waste be
amended to include a paragraph with wording to the effect, “ where relevant, if
your household thinks your bin size capacity is too small, you may be eligible
for a larger capacity wheeled bin.
See (paragraph to be inserted
recommending the bin sizes available to residents with a note of number of
adults each bin should serve.) Should you require more information about this
please contact your Street Environment Officer.
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
Summary Of Implications For The City Of York Council
The following summary of implications for the implementation of the Scrutiny
Boards recommendations was prepared for the Board by the Head of Support
Services, Commercial Services.
Financial Implications:
There are no direct financial implications for the service area.
Legal Implications:
There are no direct legal implications for the service area.
Human Resources (HR) and other implications including
Equalities:
There are no HR implications for the service area.
Crime and Disorder :
There are no crime and disorder implications for the service area
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
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FINAL REPORT
Purpose of Report
1.
This report sets out the work conducted by the Commercial Services
Scrutiny Board during their scrutiny review ‘The Cleaning of Gullies, Gutters,
Footpaths And Back Lanes on Terraced Streets’.
2.
Upon formal approval by the Board this report will be presented to;
•
•
•
3.
The Executive Member and Advisory Panel for Commercial Services.
The Executive Member and Advisory Panel for Environment and
Sustainability.
The Scrutiny Management Committee for information.
Recommendations made by the above Council bodies will be added as
addenda to the end of this report for monitoring purposes prior to this report
being published on the City of York Council website.
Background
4.
In June 2004 the Commercial Services Scrutiny Board agreed that their
next topic for consideration would be ‘the cleaning of gullies, gutters,
footpaths and back lanes in terraced areas’.
Objectives For The Review
5.
The Board’s objectives for the investigation1 required the full exploration of
cross-directorate roles in achieving effective current cleaning procedures
and identifying and managing issues reducing levels of expected cleanliness
in York’s terraced streets. The remit set made particular reference to the
following;
a)
b)
c)
Ensuring gullies don’t overflow when it rains and that channels are
free of weeds and blockages so water can flow.
Ensuring footpaths and back lanes are clear of bins and bags other
than on refuse collection days. Ensuring enforcement action, as a
last resort, is effective in maintaining standards.
Ensuring litter, leaves and blossom fall are consistent with BVI 199
standards.
Cultural Goals for the Review
6.
The Board set the follo wing cultural goals in relation to these areas;
a) Raise public awareness of their responsibilities in respect of street
cleanliness.
1
Remit determined at the 6th July 2004 Board Meeting. The Board received a background paper
over viewing present practice and recent changes in the areas covered by their topic at this
meeting
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
b) Raise public awareness of the City of York Council’s role in respect of
street cleanliness.
c) Provide recommendations in respect of these issues, which will
improve the service in a manner reflecting best value and best
practice.
Overview Regarding the Approach Taken
7.
The following paragraphs outline the approach taken by the Board in over
viewing the effectiveness of practices already adopted and recently
introduced within the City of York Council for each of the identified objective
areas.
8.
At the meeting 6th July 2004 the Board received a background paper and
presentation from the Head of Support Services, Commercial Services overviewing present practice and recent changes in the areas covered by their
topic.
9.
On the morning of August 5th 2004 the General Manager of Streetscene
facilitated site visits2 to terraced streets in York. This enabled the Board to
see gully cleansing work in progress, the different types of drainage hole
cover in situ and the general state of street cleanliness.
10.
The visits were carried out as part of the Commercial Services teams routine
operations, rather than being specially arranged. This site exercise helped
Members gain a genuine understanding of some of the practical issues
covered by the topic, in particular the strengths and weaknesses in the
necessary ‘partnership to street cleanliness’ between the citizens and
officers.
11.
The following sections cover the detailed scrutiny of the three areas
identified under Objectives of the review above.
A
Ensuring Gullies Don’t Overflow When it Rains and Channels
are Free of Weeds and Blockages so Water can Flow
12.
Members of the Board made the following observations and resolutions
relating to the effectiveness of gully cleansing in the City of York Council
area:
i.
2
Access for Cleansing: Prior to street cleansing on the 5th August
2004A a traffic order 3 had been issued on the affected streets, with
sufficient on-street parking in other streets provided for the displaced
vehicles. Although the order resulted in reasonable street clearance,
some residents had either chosen to ignore or had not read the traffic
order they had received telli ng them to keep the street clear of parked
cars.
Members resolved to find out how many tickets were issued and if
there were any complaints about getting them. A detailed breakdown
Site visits covered work at Balfour Street, Roseberry Street and Carnot Street
Traffic Orders make it an offence not to remove vehicles from the recommended area between
stated hours.
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
9
of this information is provided at Annex A.
ii.
Street Sweeping Vehicle: The effectiveness of this vehicle relied upon
it going up and down each street several times; however, it was seen to
be highly effective in respect of gully cleanliness where access wasn’t
impeded by cars. The vehicle could not be effective where cars were
parked in the street and this resulted in sections of the street being left
without cleansing. Members noted that this would have an inevitable
knock on effect if vehicles that weren’t moved had been parked over
gullies. Members were surprised at the nature of the detritus removed
from the gullies and drainage holes; i.e. building refuse including bricks
etc.
Members resolved to consider the practical alternatives to vehicle
removal.
Members requested and were given details from
Commercial Services staff regarding the use of a suck (vacuum cleaner
like) or a blow road sweeper machine. A Member had seen such
machines being used in Amsterdam and was impressed with their
effectiveness.
At the Board’s meeting on 2nd November 2004 Members were advised
that litter and detritus vacuum machines for use along the side of parked
cars have been considered by Commercial Services for wide scale
residential area usage but rejected for the following reasons:
•
•
•
•
Whilst it is true the machines are effective for litter in reasonable or dry
weather conditions they have proved to be of limited use with heavily
soiled or wet detritus which sticks.
The cost of a person and machine does not make best use of the limited
resources. Indeed many local authorities have actually reverted to a
person with a broom as the most practical and cost efficient solution.
Suck and blow machines can cause objects such as cans and bottles to
move in a way which may result in scratching the paintwork of stationary
vehicles. Possible damage to the parked cars and the likely claims
against the authority make the use of such vehicles prohibitive.
Commercial services staff are already seeing increasing claims resulting
from accusations that gritting and verge cutting operations are causing
damage to parked vehicles.
As with all hand held machines, new vibration regulations that came into
force last year has resulted in this type of machine being labeled with
restricted use. Comparison can be made with City of York Councils
existing grass blowers which are now restricted to 1 hour and 29 minutes
per operative per day. The Council must adhere to proper Health and
Safety standards.
As a result of the information received Members agreed that
recommending the use of further suck or blow style machines as a
solution to the issue of parked cars would not offer best value.
iii.
Responsibility for reporting blockages and dealing with them:
Members were advised at their February 2005 meeting that
responsibility is dependant upon ownership/type of drain. As a general
rule “public” drains fall into two categories; surface water gullies (those
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
which deal with rainfall run-off) maintained and managed by the City of
York Council, and sewerage drains maintained by Yorkshire Water.
It must be noted however that a member of the public may find
identification of ownership difficult as the routing for the two types of
drain are not always distinct and private drains (forming a third category)
may also sometimes be the source of issues.
The City of York Council does take measures to support citizens to
identify ownership and ensure that concerns are raised with the
appropriate people. See Annex B ‘Extract from CYC Web’.
Members were concerned that information regarding responsibility
for ensuring that gullies do not over-flow (causing flash/localised
flooding) and instructions for reporting blockages should be widely
available to the public and queried the effectiveness of the
Council’s Website alone.
iv.
Schedules for Gully Cleansing: At the Board’s September meeting
Members were advised that the schedules used for gully cleansing were
changed in the early part of 2004 from a strict rota or calender based
system - including routine cleansing of all areas more than once
annually - to a system creating a balance between some annual routine
cleansing for all areas, with additional prioritised cleansing of known
problem gullies.
This change to gully cleansing was seen by the service area officers as
promoting better time management as it created a balance between
routine maintenance time, and the time both required and available for
the cleansing of blockages reported by customers on an ad-hoc basis.
13.
In respect of effective gully cleansing in York’s terraces the Board recognise
that the single biggest issue impeding gully cleansing is the residents own
parked cars which make it impossible in places for the cleaning teams to
reach and dispose of detritus. The cleansing work of the Commercial
Services Team on August 5th 2004 was felt to be of the standard required
and to be commended city wide.
14.
Members viewed the relationship between Parking Services officers and
Commercial Services officers in respect of street vehicle clearance as
positive and effective. Members support the work of officers in the difficult
task of enforcement and believe that the onus should be upon the citizens to
provide genuine and well evidenced grounds for not moving a car if they
wish to avoid penalties.
15.
Given the recent changes to the gully cleansing schedules the Board does
not consider further detailed scrutiny of this particular sub -topic area to be
of benefit at this time. The Board wish to make the following
recommendations;
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
11
Recommendation 1.
In order for the Board to judge the effectiveness of recent changes to
the gully cleansing regime Members of the Commercial Services
Scrutiny Board wish to receive quarterly reports:
1. Showing Any changes in the level of complaints related to gully
cleansing with comparative data for the same period prior to the
changes being implemented.
2. Such reports should commence upon approval of this report and
continue for a period of not less than 1 year.
Recommendation 2.
That Commercial Services officers consult with officers in the
Neighbourhood Pride Unit to assess the feasibility of informing
residents, through Your Ward newsletters, of their role in gully
cleansing and placing notice of gully cleansing dates when parked
vehicles should be removed before cleansing takes place. This
measure should be additional to notice served direct to householders.
B
Ensuring Footpaths and Back Lanes are Clear of Bins/Bags
other than on Refuse Collection Days. Ensuring
Enforcement Action, as a Last Resort, is Effective in
Maintaining Standards.
16.
From their work as Ward representatives, Board Members were acutely
aware of issues arising related to the proper/improper disposal of domestic
refuse. Board Members were aware of and identified certain assumptions
regarding wrongly presented domestic waste in terraced areas, see below:
i. York’s Student population is perceived as particularly likely to wrongly
present domestic waste for the following reasons:
• Less awareness of local facilities; location of disposal sites,
recycling facilities and access to related information.
• Multiple occupations resulting in greater volume of waste
produced
• Less sense of community ownership
• Increase likelihood of production of a volume of waste additional
to the norm at end of term time.
ii. York’s non-student transient population – i.e. high number of people
sharing rented or short lease properties due to relatively high property
prices in York - are perceived as particularly likely to wrongly present
domestic waste for the following reasons:
• Less awareness of local facilities; location of disposal sites,
recycling facilities and access to related information.
• Multiple occupations resulting in greater volume of waste
produced
• Less sense of community ownership
iii. General nature of terraced communities - the majority of Wards in York
with a high number of terraces also include a population which has
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
below average car ownership (see also Annex C) making it less easy
for people to access refuse facilities for excess waste.
17.
Members were concerned to assess measures already taken or about to be
taken by the City of York Council which addressed these cultural issues
through both improved communications with terraced communities in the
first instance and enforcement where necessary.
18.
At the Board Meeting on 2nd Nov 2004 Members received presentations and
reports from Street Scene Officers regarding the following;
i. Environment and Sustainability EMAP report ‘Refuse Bags Out Early –
Section 46 Enforcement’ 4.
ii. Student poster campaign scheme being run in conjunction with key
Educational institutions within the city to reduce wrongly presented of
refuse by transient student populations 5. A copy of the Poster is
appended at Annex D.
19.
At this meeting Members were advised that:
i. Only 10,000 households or c.12% of York homes still use plastic
refuse bags provided by the authority. Methods of collection for plastic
refuse bags vary across the city, including the use of central collection
points, edge of property collections, communal storage and waste
chutes in flats. Collections are on a weekly basis.
ii. In addition, 75% of properties are served by kerbside recycling at least
fortnightly and performance in recycling has shown steady and
sustained improvement. It has increased over the last four years and
has achieved the 2005/6 target of 12% set by Government, a year
early.
iii. Key areas for improvement highlighted by last years Waste
Management inspection at the City of York Council included;
• A reduction in the percentage of total tonnage of household waste
landfilled, (through recycling and other initiatives)
• Improved residents awareness of responsibility for waste
presentation problems
• And a more
proactive approach in both enforcement and
education initiatives.
20.
Members were also notified that customer satisfaction in this area has
improved and that this would appear to be linked to the streamlining of
customer services for reporting complaints through York Pride Action line
which provides residents with a “one stop” means of reporting street level
problems.
21.
Over Summer 2004, officers from the Street Environment Service carried
out a pilot exercise in problems wards – i.e. those with terraced streets and
4
13th October 2004
The poster and correspondence to landlords, is aimed at reducing the end of term problems of
excess waste and clearance items left as students vacate their properties. Encouraging use of York
Pride Action Line to assist students leaving accommodation, is seen as a crucial step in improving
the condition of back lanes during these periods. This initiative will be furthered through information
sent direct to students through electronic messaging commencing October 2004, and attendance by
SEOs at open days and presentations aimed at educating students prior to moving into rented
accommodation in the city, later in the term.
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
13
similar - in conjunction with colleagues in Street Scene and Commercial
Services. The exercise comprised of
Street Environment Officers
accompanying the collection crews on a weekly basis to inspect areas prior
to collection and ensure that occupiers incorrectly presenting waste were
identified and appropriate steps taken to improve standards.
22.
The Board found the new education and enforcement policies implemented
in 2004 to be positive and reassuring. Whilst Members were pleased that a
positive shifts in behaviour could be achieved by constant follow up work
from Street Environment Officers on the day of refuse collection, concern
was expressed at the requirement for high leve ls of ongoing officer resource
which might be required to maintain such results. The outcome of the
intensive co-working trial at The Groves and Leeman Road areas of the city
was reported back to the Board at their April 05 Meeting.
23.
Part of the way forward in respect of minimising time spent in intensive
officer resourcing to address issues was seen to be through initiatives such
as the student poster and education campaign. Members were anxious that
equivalent strategies for reaching York’s non-student transient population
should be devised.
24.
Members of the Scrutiny Board initially felt some form of compact with the
owners (private landlords and letting agencies) of such properties created
equivalent to that represented by the student poster campaign might be
useful; possibly consulting members of the York Letting Forum as a starting
point. Costings for the production and reproduction of such materials were
obtained from the Marketing and Communications Department; see Annex
E of this report.
25.
At their meeting on the 2nd February 2005 this approach was reconsidered
in favour of piloting a luggage label style system for all terraced owners
alerting them to similar key data. The Board have invested £750 in this
project and will be following up the success of this initiative in key terraces
over the next year. See Annex F for example of label format .
Recommendation 3.
That officers in Commercial Services present jointly drafted reports
with officers from Street Environment and presented on a quarterly
basis advising Members of:
§ The position in respect of wrongly presented waste in key terraces
prior to the introduction of luggage labels
§ the impact in their view of the introduction of the luggage label
system
26.
Education and information campaigns were viewed as complimentary to,
rather than as a replacement for, increased enforcement measures taken
against residents who persistently put refuse bags out early or dump larger
items. Members were supportive of the proposal to introduce fixed penalty
notices for incorrect household waste presentation.
27.
Members of the Board expressed an interest in looking at the reasons for,
and effectiveness of, the decision of some Local Authorities to increase the
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
number of collections made in terraced environments in order to improve
cleanliness. Commercial Services officers are investigating this method of
collection with other authorities who are running trials to gauge the
effectiveness. The outcome of these investigations will be reported to the
Board later in 2005.
28.
The Board were also interested in analysing improvements which might be
made to the City of York Council’s recycling initiatives with particular
reference to terraced areas. The Board recognised the concerns of the
Disabled Persons Advisory Group regarding the obstacles created by the
green recycling boxes; however, the Board felt that measures which
reduced the amount of recyclable domestic waste going into the principal
waste stream were seen as counter productive to best practice in this area
and likely to increase the overall volume of domestic product and
exacerbate related problems.
Recommendation 4.
The Board consider that the specific issue of improving recycling
facilities for terraces should be better addressed and propose the
following short term and long term solutions:
a) Terraced Streets where the properties have forecourts should be
issued with green boxes; subject to service availability.
b) The broader issue of recycling and terraced streets should be
considered as part of the Boards next scrutiny topic and the Disabled
Persons Advisory Group should be key consultees.
29.
At the February 2005 meeting of the Board the Assistant Public Rights of
Way Officer was invited to attend to discuss the relationship between
improved community safety through alley-gating and access to remove
domestic waste. Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 local
authorities may consider the gating of alleyways, in order to reduce and
deter crime and anti-social behaviour. This has also helped Local Authorities
fulfil their duties under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, by including alley
closures in their crime reduction strategies.
30.
Members had been concerned that alley-gates would:
•
•
•
31.
6
Stop the Commercial Services refuse team from being able to access
waste for clearance
Force Commercial Services staff into having to become key holders
Make it more difficult for householders to present waste
Members were advised that after initial consultation had been carried out on
several closure proposals, 6 concerns regarding
council refuse and
cleansing operations were identified in relation to the access of services
staff to closed alleys. Such concerns included the logistics of issuing keys to
operatives, possible problems with lost keys, security etc. This issue took
several months to resolve and resulted in a change as to how refuse would
Closure proposals: where a terraced back lane or similar is suggested for closing off using an alley
gate. The proposals are discussed in consultation with residents and utility companies.
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
15
be collected. Residents were informed that after gating, their refuse would
be collected from the front of their property instead of the rear alley.
Consultation letters were altered to include this change of practice and two
alleyways were chosen to pilot the new changes. See Annex G, which
contains a sample alley gating consultation letter and declaration of
owners/occupiers agreement.
32.
In respect of ease of presentation for the owner/occupier of alley-gated
terraced streets, those properties still using black bags may be seen to have
an advantage as these can be readily moved from the back of the house
through the home to the front for collection whereas, wheeled bins may
need to be moved right round the outer perimeter of a terraced block.
33.
Given the proposals to alley-gate an increasing number of Yorks terraced
areas through a priority system (determining which alleys should be closed
first co-devised with the crime reduction partnership Safer York) the
continued use of hybrid waste presentation areas (black bag and wheeled
bins) or terraces using wheeled bins may need to be reconsidered. It may
be possible for example to maintain wheeled bins as a storage container but
to request that waste be presented for collection in bags.
34.
Members received a report and presentation partially regarding the issue of
refuse collection and presentation forms at their April 2005 meeting.
Members await the results of a trail being conducted at Navigation Road
using large communal containers for residents to collate bagged waste in.
Recommendation 5.
That in terraced streets only, Officers in the waste collection crews
should be allowed to collect a minimal amount of side waste where
the amount meant is at the discretion of the senior officers within the
service. Where side waste exceeds this amount Officers in the waste
collection crews should immediately label the waste as excess and
alert Street Environment Officers so that they can remove the waste
trace the owners and begin legal enforcement procedures.
Recommendation 6.
That the first stage warning letter sent out to residents
mispresenting waste be amended to include a paragraph with
wording to the effect, “ where relevant, if your household thinks
your bin size capacity is too small, you may be eligible for a larger
capacity wheeled bin.
See (paragraph to be inserted
recommending the bin sizes available to residents with a note of
number of adults each bin should serve.) Should you require more
information about this please contact your Street Environment
Officer.
C
Ensuring litter, leaves and blossom fall are consistent with
BVI 199 standards
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
35.
Early in their investigations the Board were disappointed to realise that
Autumn leaf fall and spring drop could not be collected for composting, biofuel burn or straight landfill as it was often contaminated with salts and fuel
and therefore classified as toxic waste.
36.
Whilst a few Councils separate leaf and blossom fall on roads/gutters from
fall on verges and foot paths mixing a proportion of the latter with fall from
parks to compost, the cost benefits of such seperation would be prohibitive
for York at the present time.
37.
The Leisure Services Department have recently indicated to the Board that
they wish to improve on site recycling of green waste materials. In respect of
this and the broadest issues of improved city wide recycling of domestic and
commercial green waste it is likely that the board will wish to do further work
as part of their next topic.
38.
The content and recommendations in this report were agreed for
progression to the the following meetings by the Board at their meeting 3rd
May 2005;
§
§
§
39.
Environment and Sustainability Executive Member and Advisory Panel
Scrutiny Management Committee
Commercial Services Executive Member and Advisory Panel
Paragraphs regarding any decisions made at these meetings will be added
to future published copies of this report.
Final Comments
Members of the Commercial Services Scrutiny Board would like to extend
their particular thanks to officers in Commercial Services, Highways and
Street Environment for supporting their understanding of this topic.
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
17
Contact details
Authors:
The Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
Supporting Scrutiny Officer:
Ruth Sherratt
Scrutiny Officer
The Guildhall
York
YO1 9QN
Tel: 01904 552066
Enquiries should be directed to the Supporting Scrutiny Officer in the first instance
Members of the Commercial Services Scrutiny Board:
Chair
Vice Chair
Cllr. Irene Waudby
Cllr. Janet Greenwood
Cllr. Bill Fairclough
Cllr. Alan Jones
Cllr. Ken King
Cllr. Mark Waudby
Cllr. David Wilde
Background Papers:
1.
2.
3.
York Pride
Executive Report
16/09/03
Clean Neighbourhoods Consultation
Executive Report
08/09/04
Waste Management Inspection: City of York Council. Audit August 2004
Commission Inspection Report
4.
Environmental Protection Act 1990
HMSO
5.
Controlled Waste Regulations
1992 (SI 1992/588)
6.
Public Rights Of Way – Update on Progress of Alleygating Executive Member
Scheme
Advisory Panel
Planning & Transport
02/02/04
Refuse Collections In Terraced Areas
Report of the Director of
(And draft version April 2005)
Commercial Services
for the Commercial
Services Scrutiny Board
03/05/05
7.
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Annexes:
Annex A
Parking Tickets Issued For Vehicles Not Moved after notice of
Street Cleansing.
Annex B
Annex C
Annex D
Extract from CYC Website Re; Drains and sewerage
Census data regarding terraces as high non-car owning
households
Student Poster
Annex E
Costings for Production and reproduction of the Student Poster
Annex F
Sample design for the luggage type label pilot.
Annex G
Sample Alley Gating Consultation Letter and Declaration Of
Owners/Occupiers Agreement
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
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ANNEX A
Parking Tickets Issued For Vehicles Not Moved after notice
of Street Cleansing.
Parking Services provided the following information relating to the number of
tickets issued on Balfour Street, Roseberry Street and Carnot Street on the
morning of 5th August:Carnot Street - 2 tickets issued
Balfour Street - 5 tickets issued
Roseberry Street - 2 tickets issued
Every person who obtained a ticket objected to the issue of them. Reasons for
objecting included;
• residents were on holiday,
• residents said they had not received notification.
In some cases it was clear that residents were at home, but had just failed to move
their vehicle.
ANNEX B
Extract from the CYC Website Re; Drains and sewerage
Private drains
The council offers a 24 hour drain clearing service to private residents for which
there is a charge of £65.00 (plus VAT) per hour. For advice or a quote tel:(01904)
625751 at any time. The drainage section also offers other services including:
septic tank emptying
drain repairs
CCTV inspections
Who is responsible?
If you are not sure who is responsible for a private drain in your area contact us on
the York Pride Action line: (01904) 551551 or email:
street.environment@york.gov.uk
We can carry out drainage investigations and have the power to take action to
ensure that works are completed by all those who are responsible for the upkeep
of the drainage system. This can include below ground drains and sewers which
are blocked, defective or broken and above ground drainage such as missing or
defective guttering and down pipes.
Reporting problems in your street
Public sewers
Sewerage services in the area are managed by Yorkshire Water. For blocked
sewers, or other sewerage problems on public streets and highways, tel:0845 1 24
24 29
The council's Commercial Services team provide a drain cleaning service, along
with cesspool/septic tank emptying and CCTV sewer inspections tel:(01904)
625751.
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
ANNEX C
Census data regarding terraces as high non-car owning households.
Data extracted from census 29 April 2001 http://www.york.gov.uk/living/census/
showing Guildhall and abutting Wards – i.e. Wards with high number of terraces –
and relationship to high proportion of non-car owning households.
National Average for Households in England and Wales per hundred
that do not own a car = 26.8%
WARD
Percentage of Households without a car
Clifton
40.8%
Fishergate
35.9%
Guildhall
47.7%
Heworth
36.9%
Hull Road
32.1%
Holgate
32.1%
Micklegate
39.2 %
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
ANNEX D Draft Student Poster
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Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
ANNEX E: Printing costs for the Student Poster:
printing 1000 A3 in colour, gloss laminated : £205
printing 1000 A4 in colour, gloss laminated : £180
printing 1000 A4 in colour : £119
printing 1000 A3 in colo ur : £134
printing 1000 A4 in 1 colour : £68
printing 1000 A3 in 1 colour : £83.
Costs of Graphics/Artwork and Copy Right. £ to be confirmed by Marketing and
Communications if reworking required.
ANNEX F:
Sample design for the luggage type label pilot. The text will go
on one side of the label and the changes box on the reverse.
_______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT CHANGES TO
YOUR COLLECTION
City of York Council is striving to minimise the amount of Waste produced
and so taken to landfill. Please help us by:
•
Making the most of recycling facilities
•
Ensuring that your bin is not overfilled and that the lid is closed
•
Not placing any extra refuse on top of or next to your bin.
For more information on Waste & Recycling call:
01904 551551 or visit www.york.gov.uk
_______________________________________________________________________
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
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ANNEX G:
Sample Alley Gating Consultation Letter and Declaration Of
Owners/Occupiers Agreement
Dear Sir or Madam
Request for gating of alleyway at
City of York Council has recently received a request to gate off the alleyway at the rear of
your property, as part of its Alleygating initiative. This scheme is explained in more detail
in the enclosed leaflet, but it is a method of gating off alleyways that facilitate criminal
activity and/or anti-social behaviour, thus providing a safer and more secure environment
for residents.
As part of my investigations, records show that this alley si not adopted/an adopted
highway under the control of City of York Council. It is/does not appear to be a public right
of way, although we are unable to verify this.
Before the gating procedure can go ahead, I need to consult with all affected residents,
and have their written agreement before I can continue. Could you therefore please
complete the attached declaration, and return it to me no later than ?, in the enclosed
envelope. After this date, I will assess the responses and start the Alleygating process if
that what residents wish. If you do not return the declaration form, within the prescribed
time then the assessment will be that you do not object to the scheme.
If the application to gate off the alleyway is successful, you should be aware that in
order to maintain the desired controlled entry into the lane, it will be necessary to
introduce a revised method of refuse collection from your property. It is proposed that
once gated, collections will be made either from the front of properties, or at an agreed
Central Collection Point to be located at either end, and outside the gated area.
Residents would be required to refrain from storing refuse or any other items in the
lanes once gated. City of York Council would of course still be committed to make
alternative arrangements for those residents not in a position to comply with the
revised collection system. This will be assessed on an individual basis.
It is also intended that, prior to the introduction of the gates, the alley will be deep cleaned
(where possible, by the operatives fitting the gates), and will also include the thorough
servicing of all water gullies. Once the gates are in position, routine cleaning of the
secure area will become the responsibility of residents in order to minimise unnecessary
entry. City of York Council will, of course, retain the responsibility of maintenance of the
lanes including cleaning however; this will be as and when required.
We apologise for any inconvenience the introduction of the revised refuse collections and
cleansing services may cause, however, minimising entry into your secure area will be to
the benefit to all residents.
Please read the enclosed leaflet for further information and if you wish, you may seek legal
advice on this matter. However, if there is any further information I can help you with,
please do not hesitate to contact me at the Public Rights of Way Unit tel (01904) 551338,
via e-mail on alleygating@york.gov.uk, or at the address above.
Yours faithfully
Alleygating Officer
Public Rights of Way Unit
Network Management
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
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ALLEYGATING SCHEME
DECLARATION OF OWNERS/OCCUPIERS AGREEMENT
(This form must be completed by each property owner / occupier affected by the proposals)
WARD:
SCHEME REFERENCE:
DETAILS OF SCHEME:
Name and Address
Name and Address
Occupier
Landlord/Owner (if different)
Address 1
Address 2
Address 3
YORK
YO
Telephone Number
Telephone Number
Declaration
(The proposal cannot be processed unless this declaration is completed)
*I am / We are the freehold / leasehold * owner(s) of the above property which is affected by the proposed
Alleygating scheme.
I am / We are the tenant / licensee or occupier(s)* of the above property which is affected by the proposed
Alleygating scheme.
*Delete as appropriate
I / We agree and consent to the proposed Alleygating Scheme and any necessary Legal Orders, as shown in
the City of York Council Alleygating Policy, that may have to be made as a consequence.
I / We agree not to claim any compensation, under the Highways Act 1980 or any other statutory provision,
as a result of the City of York Council making an Order as a consequence of this proposal.
I / We agree, to enter into a binding legal agreement, with all other parties concerned, for the granting of any
necessary private rights of access or easement over and along the alley to be gated.
I / We agree that once the alley is closed off, I / we will transfer ownership of both the alley and the gate(s) to
the City of York Council, who will pay an inclusive sum of £1.00 per alley, and that thereafter that I / we
relinquish all responsibility, for the ownership, maintenance, and repair of the said alley and gate(s).
I / We agree to the proposed changes, to the collection of refuse and household waste by City of York
Council Cleansing Services, which may be necessitated by the closure of the alley.
Signed …………………………………..
Name ………………………………….
Signed …………………………………..
Name ………………………………….
Date …………………
Final Report Commercial Services Scrutiny Board
© City of York Council, Scrutiny Services, The Guildhall, York YO1 9QN
For more information about Scrutiny or this report telephone 01904 552038
or e-mail: scrutiny.services@york.gov.uk
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