Agenda item

This year-end update report outlines South Kesteven District Councils performance against the Corporate Plan Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the year of 2021/22.

 

The Organisation Development and Change Manager presented the report that outlined the end of year KPI’s for 2021/22.

 

Three actions were rated green:

 

·       Continue to innovate the Council’s approach to waste management to build on strengths and maximise commercial and other opportunities.

·       Work with the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership to reduce waste and further improve recycling.

·       Recognise changes in environmentally friendly modes of transport and seek to work with others to adapt required infrastructure.

 

Three actions were rated amber:

 

·       Maintain and enhance green areas across the district, aiming to secure Green Flag Status for Queen Elizabeth Park, Dysart Park and other relevant areas.

·       Work proactively with Environment SK to deliver high quality services and maximise commercial opportunities.

·       Build a new, modern depot which is fit for the future.

 

There were no actions rated red.

 

One Member highlighted the difficulty of comparing current KPI outcomes to previous KPI outcomes, and therefore it was challenging to establish whether the action status had improved, got worse or stayed the same. 

 

A query was made on a green rated KPI relating to the measure of contribution to increasing the proportion of recycling, as set out in the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership strategy. The percentage on the action was 42.38%, however, the target was set at >42.5%. It was enquired that this action should be rated amber, rather than green.

 

The Organisation Development and Change Manager confirmed that the action measure status should have been amber in the report.

 

Clarification was sought on who sets the KPI targets. 

 

The Assistant Director of Operations and Public Protection confirmed that the targets were based on those set by government for the next 10-15 years. The Government targets were national and not set for individual Council’s.

 

A point was raised on the action relating to recognising changes in environmentally friendly modes of transport and seeking to work with others to adapt required infrastructure. It was queried who the Council were working with and whether the Council were working district-wide on the action or within a certain town.

 

It was suggested that more public modes of transport be utilised in the south of the district due to disconnections from Grantham.

 

The Organisational Development and Change Manager highlighted that the targets were set around electric vehicle charging points but different KPI’s would be explored as a review of the corporate plan.

 

The Cabinet Member for Waste Services and Climate Change reported that Lincolnshire County Council had applied for funding regarding more electric charging points, Grantham being one of the identified towns.

 

One Member noted that the action relating to recycling required residents to recycle adequately.

 

A query was raised in relation to Queen Elizabeth car park, following the closure of the Covid-19 testing site and what the Council were doing to encourage the re-opening of the car park.

 

The Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy informed the Committee that the delay in re-opening the car park was due to contractors. The car park had now re-opened, however would need to be closed again for 1-2 days for completion works to take place.

 

The Cabinet Member for Waste Services and Climate Change highlighted that a high level of contamination was seen in recycling collected in some areas and some areas of the district did not recycle. Bagged waste was often put out too early and the use of fixed penalty notices were being considered to address this.  

 

A further issue was raised in relation to bins in Bourne having two compartments separating recycling and general waste. The two compartments had black bags and were disposed of together. Therefore, the bins were not being used correctly.

 

One Member queried whether the Council had a budget for educating residents about recycling. 

 

It was highlighted that the Council had not proceeded with facilities for textile recycling banks.

 

Clarification was sought on how the 42.5% recycling target had been reached and how it related to government targets.

 

The Chairman highlighted that many residents engage in the Council’s recycling program.

 

The Deputy Chief Executive reported that there was not a specific budget set aside for educating residents on recycling. However, there was an ongoing campaign to inform residents of the correct items to put into each bin.

 

ACTION: For the Committee to receive an update on how the 42.5% recycling target had been reached and how it related to government targets.

 

The Deputy Chief Executive reported that contaminated bins were occasionally tagged. The Council works to educate residents on disposing their waste correctly.

 

The Chairman highlighted that SK Today also publicises what waste should be put into which bin.

 

It was suggested that the Council could also become involved in the National Recycling Campaign in September 2022.

 

The Cabinet Member for Waste Services and Climate Change reported that residents who continually dispose waste incorrectly and ignore correspondence may be liable to receiving a fixed penalty notice.

 

Clarification was sought on whether contaminated waste was collected and where the waste goes.

 

It was confirmed that the waste team could not leave contaminated waste bags as it may become a public health concern, and therefore would have to collect and dispose of it.

 

The Chairman asked for clarification on the colour of the bags used for waste.

 

It was confirmed that pink bags were for used for residual waste, the equivalent of the black wheeled bin, clear bags were the equivalent of the grey bins for recycling.

 

One Member queried how many tags had been put onto contaminated bins.

 

It was further questioned as to whether the Council were aware of which areas required further education on recycling than others.

 

The Chairman suggested that the Council educate schools in the district on recycling.

 

ACTION: For the Assistant Director of Operations and Public Protection to provide the Committee on data around the number of contaminated bins.

 

It was clarified that contaminated bins that were identifiable to a property would not be collected.

 

It was further queried as to whether public litter bins that had two compartments to distinguish normal waste from recycling were monitored.

 

The Assistant Director of Operations and Public Protection highlighted that the public litter bins were not utilised in the way they were intended.

 

One Member noted that if the public bins had a black bag in both compartments, the public may assume that they are both general waste.

 

AGREED:

 

1. Note the contents of the 2021/22 year-end performance report.

2. Members to consider if any concerns highlighted by the report require additional investigation to be added to the work programme.