To receive a verbal update from the Cabinet Member on the progress in driving improvement in services across the Council.
Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Continuous Improvement provided a verbal update on the work in her area. This included the following:
· She continued to work positively with officers by helping to resolve issues raised to help drive ‘continuous improvement’. Working directly with members of the Corporate Management Team was proving very effective.
· A new enforcement contractor had been allocated historic cases to clear over the next 6 months.
· A draft of the Local Enforcement plan with a view of setting up a working group to review and amend was underway.
· The number of cases outstanding was 334 of which 174 were pre-2022, these were being worked on. Many were not high priority and could be cleared.
· Abandoned Vehicles- There had been 48 outstanding abandoned vehicle enforcements resolved in the last six months. Since the end of June the Council had received a further 16 reports regarding abandoned vehicles of which 9 had received 7 day removal notices (final checks to be completed 1 August). FPN’s would be issued to those vehicles not removed so the Council could remove them.
· Parking and Litter Enforcement- Evening patrols of town centre car parks and streets had started. This had uncovered significant issues in relation to overnight parking and appropriate steps had been taken regarding the follow up action to be taken. This had meant that a considerable high number of PCN’s had been issued in June and July 22.
· Litter patrols were also being conducted in the District with a particular focus on Crediton, Cullompton and Tiverton town centres. 38 patrols were carried out in the first quarter of 22/23 compared to 8 that were conducted in 21/22. A new policy will be brought forward for consideration to the September Environment PDG regarding the Council’s litter enforcement practice and how this is managed appropriately.
· Street Cleansing (including inspections) – The Council had completed a full cleansing inspection (this assesses the cleanliness of our roads and streets) in Tiverton and would be completed soon in Crediton. This assessment leads to a grading between A and D (A no litter or refuse present, D heavy littering present with significant culmination). In Tiverton most of the gradings were A and B with Crediton seeing the majority of assessments also of an A and B standard.
· The Council aimed to complete the cleansing inspections of all three towns (including Cullompton) by the end of September 2022 with a view to recommencing further inspections to be carried out in quarter 3 to be completed by the end of quarter 4. This would allow the two sets of results to be compared and improvements or areas of deterioration identified. This would also allow the Council to proactively evaluate the impact of the introduction of 3 weekly bin collections on the 10 October 2022 in the District.
· The Council recently applied to Keep Britain Tidy to obtain funding for the removal of gum (chewing) residue. This resulted in the Council receiving £15K to fund industry specific gum removal machinery that would aid the removal of gum residue.
· District Officers Wearing Body Cameras -Steps had been taken to allow body cams to be worn by District Officers to protect their health and safety from this autumn 22. This had been reported in the local media.
· Housing Voids -There would be an in-depth review seeing Cllrs working with Officers, Directors and relevant CMT officers.
· Complaints-The Cabinet Member would be looking at the process to better understand the nature of complaints and why some take so long to reply to. She understood that complaints have gone down in the last quarter.
· Council Tax Energy Scheme – She congratulated those involved in Mid Devon’s performance which was in the top 5% in the County.
Discussion took place regarding:
· The Council did not have the resources available to ‘police’ each planning application. The public were encouraged to complete the online form if they had specific concerns.
· The importance of keeping Ward Members up to date with issues in the areas.
· A revised Enforcement Policy would be going to the Scrutiny Committee for discussion in the near future.
· It was confirmed that the Cabinet Member for Continuous Improvement had full visibility of the ‘tracker’. This could be accessed by specified senior officers for updating purposes.