Agenda item

This report sets out progress made within the areas covered by the Portfolio Holder for Business Management which fall within the remit of this Committee.

Discussion:

The Portfolio Holder for Business Management responded to Members’ questions and comments as follows:

Community Wardens

·         Fly tipping – in response to a question whether the Portfolio Holder had personally attended fly tipping scenes with the team, Councillor Turpin confirmed that he had and that the introduction of two tipper trucks to quickly clear sites had proven to be very effective. Responding to a question as to whetherthe current supply of trucks was sufficient to cope with what one Member expected to be a large increase in fly tipping as a result of the introduction of a charge for the collection of bulky items, Councillor Turpin replied that he did not think there would be a significant increase as a result of this charge. Much of the fly tipping involved large amounts of rubble etc. being disposed of as opposed to bulky items being fly tipped. A Member asked if information could be provided to show the amount of fly tipping and the costs involved to see if there was any connection as a result of the charge. Officers advised that the information about quantities of fly tipping and what categories of waste was collected was publicly available.

In response to a question about the number of prosecutions for fly tipping, Councillor Turpin undertook to provide this information outside the meeting.

A Member referred to the issue of an increase in bed bugs in recent years and asked if this was taken into account when mattresses were collected at fly tipping sites. Councillor Turpin replied that such waste was broken up rather than recycled back into the community.

Dog fouling – In response to a question whether dog owners who allowed their dogs to foul in public places without clearing up could be found by the DNA testing of dog excrement, Councillor Turpin advised that such a  scheme had been introduced by Barking and Dagenham Council on a voluntary basis. This was not something the Council could afford and its voluntary nature meant that many of those who caused this situation would be unlikely to voluntarily participate. Councillor Turpin added that the Council was pursuing other measures such as free de-worming tablets and placing non-permanent anti dog fouling messages on pavements where they were more visible. In addition, if any Member had concerns about a particular situation, then the wardens would carry out a site visit to try and gather evidence. 

Refuse and identity theft – A Member asked if the operation conducted in Gillingham highlighting the issue of identity theft from refuse put out for collection too early could be rolled out across Medway as “bin raiding” was an increasing problem in some wards. Councillor Turpin responded that, if successful, it would be rolled out but the proliferation of “bin raiding” in some areas seemed to be more about people looking for metals etc. to sell, rather than motivated by identity theft.                                       

Emergency Planning

·         Medway Tunnel – in response to a query why there was no reference to the tunnel in the report, officers advised that the tunnel had its own emergency plan in place and this had been updated following an exercise last summer. There was also an emergency recovery plan to get the tunnel operational again after an incident.

·         Bronze Command – the Portfolio Holder confirmed that Bronze Command still existed.

·         Member notification – in response to a question about whether Members would be notified in the event of an incident, the Committee was advised that it was standard practice for Ward Members to be informed of emergencies by the Council as they arose.

·         Trigger Levels – Councillor Turpin advised that the trigger levels had been met on three occasions and this was due to hot and cold weather events.

·         Isle of Grain False Alarm – A Member queried why this false alarm had happened and asked for an assurance it would not happen again.  Councillor Turpin commented that this had been unfortunate and had happened in error. He was confident lessons had been learned and it would not happen again.

Community Centres

·         Costs – A Member asked for a breakdown of the costs to run the four community centres and their locations. Councillor Turpin stated that they were located in Chattenden, Strood, White Road and Hook Meadow. All cost about £50,000 per annum to run. One had lower fees than the others which may be addressed next year as part of the budget process. However, he was not looking to increase fees significantly.

Decision:

The Committee agreed to:

a)        thank the Portfolio Holder for Business Management for attending the meeting and answering questions;

b)        ask for information on the number of prosecutions for fly tipping to be provided, and;

c)         ask for reports on the amount of fly tipping collected in Medway to examine if there is a link with the charge for the collection of bulky waste.