Agenda item

Report number POI049 from the Head of HR and Customer Service.             (Enclosure)

The Chairman welcomed the Performance, Consultation and Communications Service Manager to the meeting. She explained the quarter two performance report the Committee had before them focussed on the Quality Living priority and covered the period April to September 2010. Mrs Yates provided a brief overview of performance against the priority:

·         54.2% of households’ waste was recycled, reused or composted between April and September.

·         Waste crews made 72,295 refuse/green bin collections per week, equating to over 3.7million collections a year.

·         Public confidence in the district council and police working together to tackle anti-social behaviour had increased from 52% to 57%.

·         The number of food businesses who had achieved only one star as part of the council’s hygiene ratings had decreased.

·         During the reporting period, the Waste and Recycling team had received the greatest number of complaints. This averaged at 3 a week. 37 out of the 45 complaints were about missed bins.

Reducing the environmental impact of waste disposal

·         The Council aimed to achieve 55% recycling/composting of household waste by March 2011.

·         Officers delivered educational work about recycling through schools. Members supported this approach. Feedback from schools had been positive and many reported their pupils had started their own recycling schemes.

·         One Member suggested that the Council could run a “recycling proficiency” programme with schools, where children would carry out recycling-related activities and achieve a badge or certificate. This would be fed back to officers.

·         The economic climate meant people were welcoming the recycle/reuse agenda and were making deliberate choices to reduce waste.

·         The Scrutiny Committee had set up a working group to review bin collection vehicles. The routes were changing and the working group was in hiatus until this had been completed.

·         Last year the Council did not meet its target for recycling, composting and reusing. At the end of the reporting period for 2010/11, the level being achieved was just under target. Members questioned whether the target was realistic or whether it needed reviewing for 2011/12.

Reducing carbon emissions and protecting local communities from severe weather events

·         Members felt people were becoming more open to the idea of reducing carbon emissions because it provided opportunities for them to save money.

·         Messages about reducing carbon emissions and energy efficiency were central features of public engagement events like ‘Cleaner, Greener, Safer’.

·         Advice for reducing emissions is regularly included in SK Today.

Stronger communities with clean and safe places to live

·         Members agreed that the standards of cleanliness in the district were generally good.

·         New bins for depositing chewing gum had been deployed in each of the district’s major towns. Members queried whether these would also be available in villages.

·         Officers from Waste and Recycling were handing out heatproof pouches that go in pockets, bags, etc. for the safe collection of cigarette butts so that smokers could dispose of them at home. They were being distributed at public events. Members wanted to know the cost of this project.

·         Lots of villages in the district had ‘clean up’ days and some parish councils employed someone to litter-pick.

·         The survey that demonstrated increases in public confidence about the district council and police working together was carried out by Lincolnshire Police. It only showed improvement in terms of percentages. Members asked how many people were surveyed.

Developing a range of housing to meet the needs of all residents

·         South Kesteven District Council had carried out a full survey on its housing stock. It provided a list of required work for properties to meet the Decent Homes Standard. Often only small adjustments were required to get the property to Decent Homes Standard.

·         The Council aimed to adapt a minimum of 700 homes to enable disabled or older people live independently. Members were concerned about setting a minimum number in case there were insufficient requests for adaptations.

·         There were plans for the fitting of solar panels at a sheltered housing scheme in the district. Members asked where the scheme was and whether the Council received support from the government for the installation of solar schemes.

·         When Members spoke to tenants, they were satisfied with the quality of the housing and with SKDC as their landlord.

·         The report stated the Council would continue to work with occupational health services. Members were concerned that this would not be achievable because Lincolnshire County Council’s budget incorporated a significant reduction in adult services. Members asked whether this would impact the district council’s service delivery.

Improved health and wellbeing and offering positive lifestyle choices

·         The performance report only referred to health walks in Grantham. These walks were funded by the Primary Care Trust, who stipulated that funding could only be spent in Earlesfield, Harrowby and St. Wulfram’s Wards. Negotiations with the PCT led to officers delivering walks in towns across the district.

·         Members commented that each of the four towns in the district had their own swimming pools.They asked whether the council did anything to encourage more people to use the leisure centres.

·         The government scheme offering free swimming sessions for under-16s and old aged pensioners had been withdrawn. Free swimming was still available for under-8s.

·         General consensus was that leisure centres could be better advertised locally, particularly highlighting public swimming sessions.

So that there was a clear picture of how well the Council was performing year-on-year, Members requested performance information from the same period in the previous year.

The Chairman thanked the Performance, Consultation and Communications Service Manager for attending the meeting and commended the format and readability of the report.

Action Point

To feed the comments and questions to the relevant Service Managers.