Agenda item

- presentation by Mark Ford, Neighbourhood Standards Manager

Mark Ford, Neighbourhood Standards Manager, gave a powerpoint presentation on the above as follows:-

Enviro-Crime Strategy

Focus:-

-              improving the quality of the local environment

-              Key elements – changing behaviour and attitude/effective deterrents

-              Complemented by effective and responsive cleansing operations

Key Aims:-

-              To reduce by 10% by April, 2009, the number of residents who view enviro-crime to be either a very big or fairly big problem in their local area

-              To enable all local communities to widely recognise the quality of their neighbourhood so that by April, 2009, there is a 75% level of satisfaction with the cleanliness of their area

How:-

-              Education and campaigning

-              Enforcement

-              Promoting

National drivers:-

-              Sustainable Communities

-              Liveability

-              Safer, Cleaner and Greener

-              Neighbourhood Renewal

-              Community Safety

-              Neighbourhood Management

-              Local Accountability

Local Priority:-

-              Local Surveys have consistently shown clean and safe streets and improved public spaces to be a top priority for local people which is likely to continue

-              Rotherham will be a place where neighbourhoods are safe, clean, green and will maintained

-              To improve the quality of the local environment, creating cleaner, greener, safer and better used public spaces (including the Town Centre), reducing the gap on aspects of liveability between the worst neighbourhoods and the district as a whole

Local Linkages:-

-              Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy 2004-2010

-              Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy

-              Community Safety Plan 2005-08

-              Housing Strategy

-              Equalities and Diversity Strategy

-              Neighbourhood Management

-              Neighbourhood Policing/Safer Neighbourhood Teams

-              Green Spaces Strategy (under development)

-              Local Development Framework (under development)

-              Public Health Strategy (under development)

-              Housing Market Renewal

Why? Public Opinion:-

-              Top problem for communities

-              Nationally below average in terms of dissatisfaction

Not all bad news:-

-              Litter – Success

-              Dog Fouling – Success

-              Grafitti – Success

-              Flytipping

-              3^rd Best Met Council in England for “cleanliness”

Implementing:-

-              30 Point Action Plan building on good practice

-              Delivering

It was noted that the Enviro-Crime Strategy was out for consultation ahead of consideration by the Corporate Management Team followed by a joint meeting of the Cabinet Members for Neighbourhoods and Economic Regeneration and Development Services.

A question and answer session ensued with the following points/issues highlighted:-

§               The Government was looking at Councils being more accountable in terms of environment quality and would be a major focus on Performance Indicators.

§               The Toxic Campaign was well received in schools.  Possible consideration to a follow-up questionnaire which would show what impact it had had.  It was recognised in the action plan the importance of building environmental awareness into the national curriculum.

§               The local press had been very supportive in the Council’s approach in dealing with litter etc.

§               In 2005 there had been 522 fines issues for littering.  The current Streetpride signs were to be amended to reflect this information.

§               The good relationship with the Environment Agency would hopefully be stronger.

§               From the Council’s perspective, there had been 6 successful prosecutions for flytipping in the last 2 years.  The majority of the Authority’s flytipping offences were of small quantities and therefore dealt with by Fixed Penalty Notices which actually masked the actual number.  The refocusing of the Environmental Wardens would put more emphasis on specific actions and work in relation to commercial and industrial enforcement and detailed investigations.

§               There was a need for a consistent approach across Parish Councils on the issuing/enforcement of fines.

§               The Strategy did look at the waiving of fines for community benefit but there was the problem of whether you could actually force people to do that.  A meeting was to be held with Legal Services on this issue.

The Neighbourhood Standards Manager invited comments on the Strategy document by 20^th February, 2006.

Mark Ford was thanked for his presentation.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the presentation be noted.

(2)  That consideration be given to inviting a representative from the Magistrates Court to comment on flytipping and the financial penalties imposed.